


Rune Emblem Awakening

by Little Keplerette (classycloudcuckoolanderclasso)



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening, Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, Rune Factory (Video Games), Rune Factory 4
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-03
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-03-19 00:30:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3589572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/classycloudcuckoolanderclasso/pseuds/Little%20Keplerette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world threatened by many evils, the crown prince of Selphia and the elven princess of Lichtblume chance upon two people who will change the world as they know it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Premonition: Invisible Ties

**Author's Note:**

> hello there young children i bring to thee a crossover i've been dying to write since day 1 of getting fire emblem awakening also it sucks hello

_"And another!'_

_Dark magic blasted back and forth, one source being an older man with long pale hair and a long beard, clutching at a tome and laughing manically at his opponent, the other source of the dark magic: a relatively tall bespectacled young man, with blonde hair cropped just below his chin, straight as a sheet. Red eyes narrowed in determination as he swapped out his current tome for another and cast defensive light magic around himself, allowing balls of light to rapidly encircle him as he charged at the older man, swapping out his tome yet again for that of wind magic, slicing at the maniacally cackling magic caster with waves of wind. Each hit, however, was countered by bolts of thunder and lasers of water, and for each step that the blond took closer, the other countered it, forcing him to move back._

_A particularly large cloud of dark magic began forming above the blond, glowing a bright and ominous purple as lines began to form various sigils on the ceiling, but just as the final line on it began falling into place, the blond screamed, "NOW!", just as two large bolts of thunder zigzagged straight into the dark magic, canceling it out and creating a large explosion, sending both parties onto the ground, and two other parties sprawling, face down on the ground._

_"Lest? Lest!"_

_One of the other two parties that had been sent flying sat up, searching frantically for the other. Once they had located them, however, they scurried closer to them, their hood barely containing two long green pigtails as they knelt beside Lest, hand frantically searching for a heartbeat. Once found, however, they sighed in relief, and propped up Lest on their lap, pulling down the other's hood to reveal a boyish face with light blonde - almost brown - hair, lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed, as if still in pain. The hooded one pulled off their own hood, revealing the visage of a girl around his age with gentle features and worried jade eyes, scanning over the other's body for any injuries._

_"Lest, are you okay? Say something, anything!"_

_"F...Frey..." The young man's eyes opened up, revealing pristine pools of amethyst to the other, and the worried expression on her face soon faded away, a hand clasping the other's tightly. "Frey... Frey, where's..."_

_"He's over there, Lest." Frey's eyes traveled to the blond, still locked in an intense battle with the older man, lips curling into a snarl as fire began to bloom in the palm of her hand, ready to shoot at the other. However, just then, a high, trilling voice resounded throughout the room, waves of sound slicing at the older man and forcing him to stumble back and away from the blond, who adjusted his glasses and looked relieved at the timely arrival of the sound waves._

_Lest sat up, suddenly alert. "That voice... I know that voice..."_

_"It can't be, can it?" The pigtailed girl questioned worriedly. "We told her to stay put and help defend the others!"_

_Amethyst eyes widened in fear. "Oh no... oh gods, no! Not-"_

_An ethereal arrow trailing rainbow colored musical notes shot straight towards the old man, pinning him to the nearest column, just as a victorious female voice shouted, "Bravo!"_

_"Margaret...!"_

_From the darkness on the other side of the room, an elf emerged, blonde hair decorated in various flowers and ribbons, clutching what looked to be a harp merged with a crossbow-gun, which she aimed at the older man with gusto, ocean blue eyes twinkling and a smile on her lips. Flower petals seemed to continuously flutter around her as she declared, "Your time is up, Ethelberd! You'll never summon the Fell Dragon!"_

_"Meg, what're you doing here?!" Lest cried, struggling to stand up as Frey attempted to assist him, panicked words escaping her lips as he continued, "We told you to stay and help the others!"_

_"I couldn't just leave you three here against him, could I?" The elf smiled at the boy in reassurance. "What kind of Lichtblumian princess would I be, leaving the crown prince of Selphia and his two proxies to fight against the big bad all alone? And besides..." Margaret's gaze softened. "... I was worried about you, Lest. I didn't want you to get hurt without me there."_

_The boy's cheeks turned red, and he opened his mouth, ready to protest, when an annoying, but powerful voice drawled, "How touching. Two lovers, reuniting on the battlefield. Too bad that I have to separate you two; you would've made a nice emissary of Terrable if you hadn't attacked me."_

_"I never would've submitted to you either way!" Margaret snapped at the old man - Ethelberd - , who snorted with derision and pulled out the ethereal arrow, crushing it into various bubbles of light. Turning to the blond, who was adjusting the tomes by his side, she asked, "Arthur, are YOU okay? Selphia needs you!"_

_Arthur smiled cryptically at the elven princess. "I'll be fine, Meg. Let's just finish this once and for all, shall we?" To Frey and Lest, he stated, "This is it. Our final battle. You're one of us, Frey, Lest. No 'destiny' can change that." The prince regarded Frey in particular. "Destiny can be changed as long as we will it to change." He then turned his eyes to Ethelberd, his gaze hardening. "Now let's end this dastard and be done with it!"_

_"Fools!" Ethelberd roared, summoning towering waves of water and directing them towards the four. "You cannot unwrite what has already been written!"_

_Darting towards Arthur's side, Frey managed to shield both of them with her Book of Aquaticus tome, while Lest ran towards Margaret, knocking her down and away from the waves, a hand reaching down to grasp the slightly jagged sword at his side, face murderous. Both cloaked figures raised their weapons into the air, and aimed at Ethelberd, who only readied a wall of lightning as his defense, just as Frey screamed and cast a large blast of blue holy magic at him, while Lest, sword in position, ran towards the older mage, yelling profanities cursing his existence, aiming the blade at his neck._

_"Hi-yaaaaa-" Lest's footsteps pattered lightning quick as he slashed at Ethelberd repeatedly with his sword, just as Arthur's eyes, red behind his glasses, seemed to faintly glow with magical power. Just as Lest darted away, a large blast of both dark and light magic engulfing the older man, making him scream as both the purifying light and the tainted darkness wove to and fro around his body, bathing him in power before it faded away, leaving Ethelberd panting, singed, and vulnerable._

_The elven princess grinned, and pointed her harp arrowgun at him. "Steady... aim... FIRE!"_

_The arrow trailed an aria of reds and oranges before piercing through Ethelberd's body, leaving him to collapse into the ground, face first, dead._

_"..." Frey stared down at Ethelberd, Book of Aquaticus still shaking in her grasp._

_"..." Arthur adjusted his glasses, peering at each of the people still standing, though his gaze seemed to linger on Frey more than Lest._

_"... Wait..." Lest looked at the sword in his hands, then at Ethelberd. "Does this mean..."_

_Frey looked incredulous. "We... won...?"_

_"Bravo!" Margaret's ears twitched in delight, and hurriedly she ran over to Lest, thankful that the tactician she had selected for her and her kingdom was safe. "We all did great, didn't we? I'm so glad everyone's alright!" In her happiness, she embraced the boy with amethyst eyes, grip tight, as if unwilling to let go. Initially, he was stiff, but soon, he let himself return the princess's hug, also grateful for their safety._

_"Frey-"_

**_"THIS ISN'T OVER!"_ **

_And just like that, Ethelberd - though his body appeared to be less than human now, what with the shadows that seemed to erupt from his body, which was dissolving into runes as he spoke - rose up for the last time and shot a blast of lightning magic at the prince of Selphia, making Frey scream and shove him away, only to take the blow herself, full blast._

_"FREY!" They all shouted as the pigtailed girl was hurtled into the nearest column, slamming her back against it violently and making her crumple onto the ground, weak, but not unconscious. Ethelberd's shade faded away soon after, and with it, his body, carried away by the white runes that floated up into the air, heading back to the Forest of Beginnings._

_Arthur, disregarding the fact that he could trip, ran over to his tactician, kneeling down next to her as an arm snaked behind her and pulled her up and onto his lap, just as Lest suddenly got a dizzy spell, and fell to his knees, a hand reaching up to massage his forehead as Margaret immediately dropped down next to him, placing the back of her hand against his neck in worry, checking for a fever._

_"Frey?" Arthur's voice was soothing as he brushed some of her bangs away from her face to check for any bruises or marks. "Are y_ _ou alright? That was quite the blow, but th_ _at spelled the end for him." A smile graced his face. "_ _Thanks to you we carried the day."_

_"Really...?" Frey's eyes opened slightly, taking in Arthur's concerned but smiling face, a smile crossing her own face as well. "I'm... glad..."_

_"You can rest easy now." The prince took Frey's hand into his, squeezing it tightly. "We've won."_

_Margaret sounded breathless with relief. "At long last... it's all over..."_

_"That's... grea- URK!" Lest's vision suddenly swam with red, and he choked, hunching over, making Margaret squeak with surprise and worry as she hurriedly asked, "Lest? Lest, what's going on? Are you okay?"_

_"Hrrk-!" Frey seemed to be reacting as well, her own vision alternating between darkness and light as she sat up in Arthur's lap with a jolt, eyes wide, but unseeing. Arthur's brow furrowed as he asked, "_ _What's wrong? Frey? What's going on-"_

_"Hey... hey, h-hang on, Lest, we'll get you to Jo-"_

_Both currently present members of royal families were cut short by the sound of two bolts of lightning piercing through their stomachs._

_Arthur slowly let Frey roll off his lap as he attempted to stand, albeit shakily, only to collapse to his knees once more, a hand clutching the area where the bolt of lightning had pierced his innards, blood slowly making its way out of his body. Wincing, he could only look at Margaret, who had been frozen with shock as she mechanically looked down to where Lest's own bolt of lightning had stabbed straight through her, mouth dropped into a perfect 'o' shape._

_"Wha..." Frey sat up, staring at her hand, which crackled with electricity, before staring at Arthur, eyes pleading and anxious. "That... that wasn't..."_

_"Meg...?" Lest's vision cleared, only for him to realize that his hand was still gripping the bolt of lightning that had currently impaled the Lichtblumian princess in the stomach. Pupils of amethyst eyes shrank considerably, face paling. "No... no, no no no no no no no no..."_

_"This is not..." Arthur's voice was faltering as he coughed and winced in pain. "This is not... your faults..."_

_"Arthur, no, no, I'm sorry, I'm_   _ **sorry...** " Frey's voice was frantic, hands reaching up to grab at her hair in her distress. "Arthur, Arthur, please-"_

_"Frey... promise me..." The prince's gaze was foggy now. "Promise me... the two of you... will escape from this... this place..." Red eyes clouded over. "Please... go..."_

**_THUMP._  
**

_Arthur collapsed, unconscious, glasses skittering a few inches away from his face, blood pooling around him. Margaret, however, only looked back at Lest, who was trembling, reached up to touch his cheek in reassurance, before falling backwards, lifeless._

_"No... no, this can't be happening..." Lest was ready to panic, his whole frame shaking._

_"Arthur... Arthur, no... Meg... they can't be..." Frey herself was already panicking, eyes watering._

_And all the while, Ethelberd's laughter rang in their ears._

_They blacked out._


	2. The Verge of History I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pair of twins are found in a field, with no memory of how they got there. A village is set aflame. Their protectors, furious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm separating each chapter into two just because

_**Arthur... we have to do something, don't you think?** _

_**Certainly. What do you propose we do, then?** _

_**Wha- I-I don't know! Why are you asking me?!** _

_'Something's... going on...'_

_**You offered that alternative to staring at them; I presumed you had an idea of what to do.** _

_**Well you presumed wrong, then!** _

_**Forgive me, your grace, but it appears that she is waking.** _

_'What... what's going on...'_

The blackness that had been obscuring her vision dissipated, leaving her to drink in the bright light of springtime's sun, currently being filtered through the hair of two people staring down at her, one eyeing her with a calm and collected gaze while the other was obviously surprised and delighted that she was wide awake.

"I see you're awake now," The man on the left stated with a small smile. Ruby red eyes shone not with malice but with gentleness behind half-rimmed white glasses with rectangular lenses, blond bangs falling over his forehead while locks of hair that were a little longer than that of a usual man's framed his face, giving him a slightly feminine look, but only slightly; otherwise it was quite clear he was male, even from a distance. His attire was odd, almost out-of-place, with various layers of clothing ranging from shades of beige to a strangely royal purple, but otherwise, it looked fairly normal on him. Faintly she imagined the clothing on herself, then shook her head. _'That was a ridiculous thought that needs to get out of my head immediately.'_

"Had a pleasant nap?"

_'Ah, he's talking to me, isn't he...? I should answer...'_

"I-I guess so..." Her voice faltered a little, but otherwise it was strong and steady. "Though I'm not sure how I came to nap in the first place..."

"Oh?" His companion appeared to be... well, an  _elf._ A pretty one, at that, with shining blue eyes and a smile worthy of a million suns. Various colored flowers adorned both her long flowing brownish blonde hair and attire, which varied in shades of blue, and it appeared that there were many extra accessories on her person as well.  _'Geez, who needs that many accessories?'_ She thought with an amused smile, drinking in the suspender-like contraptions that seemed to be keeping her white stockings up wrapped around her waist and decorated with yellow blooms. The elf's ears twitched as she asked, "Hey there... you seem a little out of it. Still in your dream haze?"

"I... don't think so..." She flexed her fingers. "I believe I'm fully awake now, yes."

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know," The man tittered, eliciting a smile from her. He stretched out his hand to her. "Give me your hand."

 _'Should I? He could be dangerous... but then again...'_ She gazed at the outstretched hand.  _'They could've attacked me while I was out, so I suppose...'_

The man smiled when she delicately placed her hand on his, allowing him to grasp her tiny hand tightly before pulling her up, soon discovering that she was at least a few inches shorter than him, possibly even a head shorter. This made him smile a little, and her make a little face, once she realized what he was observing. This soon came to pass, however, when he inquired, "Are you alright, then? You appear to be on the same train of thought as I am."

"..." She studied his face for a while, a hand reaching up to tuck a strand of green hair behind her ear before she smiled, nodding. "Y-yes, it would appear to be so. Thank you, Arthur."

The man - Arthur - raised an eyebrow. "You know who I am?"

"Who wouldn't, Arthur?" The elf asked, hands behind her back as she smiled kindly at the green haired stranger before tutting and waving a finger at her warningly. "Though you really shouldn't just call him Arthur, now-"

" _Anyway,_ " Arthur turned back to the girl, who was now eyeing his companion with a strange look. "Back to the topic. You know who I am?"

"I..." Yet another strange look crossed her face, and suddenly she was doubled over in pain, clutching her head, long twin tails hanging to the sides limply as she winced, making Arthur and his two other companions rush forward in worry. Once the headache came to pass, however, she straightened up, albeit shakily, before shaking her head. "I-I'm alright, but... it's strange."

The elf's ears twitched. "What is?"

"Your name... it just...  _came_ to me, somehow." The girl confessed, glancing over the blond haired man once more before turning to the elf. "And... your name is... Margaret, isn't it?"

Margaret's eyes twinkled. "It certainly is! But my friends call me Meg; it's shorter."

"Be careful, your grace; giving out your personal information may prove to be your downfall." It was there that she turned to fully examine their third companion, a young woman who didn't look much different from Arthur, seeing as that she also had blonde hair - albeit in a slightly darker shade - and bangs, with locks of hair framing her face. However, her eyes were a sky blue, though they appeared cold and unforgiving to her. Add that to the fact that she was dressed in knight's armor, starting from a helmet that had her long hair kept in a ponytail away from her face to the armor that spanned down to her waist, after which followed leather armor, to the blue cape that flowed behind her, and you had a very intimidating lady.

Margaret rolled her eyes. "Forte, that's just being silly. Giving out my nickname isn't going to hurt me! It's just a nickname."

"But she knew beforehand yours and Sir Arthur's names." Forte's voice was clipped. "That proves to be a danger."

"Tell me," Arthur turned back to the pigtailed girl, who jumped when Arthur turned his attention to her. "What's your name? What brings you here... napping in this field?"

Green eyes widened. "My name... that is... my name... is..."

"... Well?"

"I'm sorry... erm, where am I...?" The girl glanced around, suddenly filled with anxiety. Where  _was_ she? Why was she just lying down in a field where anybody could have found her and had their way with her?! Was she  _crazy?_

The elf girl's eyes widened in surprise. "Hey, you know what this sounds like, right, Arthur?"

"Enlighten me, Meg."

"It sounds liiiike..." Margaret paused for dramatic effect before finishing with, "Liiiike amnesia!"

"It's called a load of monster dung." The knight accompanying them deadpanned with a serious expression, a hand gripping the sword at her side. "Meg, you can't possibly believe her. She knows your name  _and_ Arthur's, but she doesn't know where she is and what her own name is? I doubt this woman is as clueless as she seems."

"B-but it's the truth!" The girl protested with wide green eyes. Now that Margaret had pointed it out, it  _did_ feel like amnesia. When she tried to go back to the time before she had woken up, there was a huge black blur of  _nothing_ that signified missing memories. She couldn't remember  _anything,_ and because of it, she was a little panicky. However, another memory suddenly resurfaced, prompting her to gasp. "Oh no!"

"Have you remembered something, now? Perhaps your own name?" Arthur was gentle, which she was thankful for. Gentleness helped in situations like these.

Hands reached up to tug on her pigtails. "My brother! I remember... I have a brother! Oh, gods, I hope he's alright..."

"Does he look anything like you, by any chance?" Forte asked, her gaze scanning the girl's for any semblance of lies. "Green hair isn't very common around these parts."

She shook her head, frantic. "We're twins, but we don't look very much alike."  _("Fraternal, probably." Margaret whispered to Arthur and Forte, who both nodded.)_ "He's about as tall as me, with brownish hair and I  _think_ we're wearing almost the same thing, except it's modified to his tast-"

"Hold on." Forte suddenly stiffened, pulling out her blade, the tip almost grazing the pigtailed girl's nose. She gulped at the proximity as the knight glanced around suspiciously, uttering, "Someone else is here."

Arthur looked surprised, but the hand that reached for the knapsack on his waist said otherwise. "We would've seen anyone coming for miles, Forte. That would mean they were here from the beginning."

"They sound like they're just..." Forte's eyes narrowed as she concentrated, turning her head back and forth to capture any semblance of rustling from the tall grass. "... they sound like they've just begun to wake up, just like her."  _' **Her** being  **me** , I suppose.'_

Margaret contemplated this for a moment before she asked, "Where is it coming from, Forte?"

"Oh, from over there." Forte put down her sword - much to the green haired girl's relief - as she pointed to her left, only to realize with a startled yelp that Margaret was heading in that direction. "Meg,  _no-"_

"Oof!"

"Agh!"

The elf went sprawling to the ground, making the trio hurry over in worry, only to stare in awe as Margaret pushed herself up, groaning, only to find herself staring eye to eye with a young man with amethyst eyes, who yelped and immediately pushed her off, scrambling to get a hold of himself and a grip on reality as he sat up, breathing heavily, face a bright red. Margaret, however, was unfazed, and immediately looked at Forte. "Found 'em!"

"That was dangerous, Meg!" Forte chided, tapping the blunt side of her sword on Meg's head, making the elf groan before the pigtailed girl squeaked out a name. "Lest?"

"Wait a minute... Frey?" The boy Margaret had tripped over looked up at the girl - Frey - and gaped.  _'Is that my name then? Frey?'_  A moment passed, and suddenly, it looked like she had reached an epiphany. _'Yes... it's definitely my name. I remember now... it's pretty nice... but it sounds kind of weird."_ The girl's eyes watered with joy as she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him tenderly. The hug was returned as she hiccuped, "I-I can't b-believe I almost f-forgot about y-you..."

The boy rubbed circles on her back soothingly before pulling away, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Frey, it's okay. You didn't, and that's all that matters." Which now lead to a more pressing matter. "Speaking of which, who are these people, where are we, and why are we in a field?" Lest glanced over Arthur and Margaret before uttering, "No... wait, strangely enough... I know who these two are. Arthur and... Margaret, right?"

"Call me Meg!" The elf replied cheerily.

"Meg!" Forte said crossly.

"Whaaat?"

Arthur looked thoughtful. "So you were aware of our names as well. Were you aware of your name prior to this meeting?"

"Um... yeah...?" Lest looked at him oddly. "Why wouldn't I?"

The blond's brow furrowed. "I see... don't you find it strange, Miss Frey?" He turned to Frey now, who inexplicably shivered. "You did not recall your name, but your brother, while being haplessly oblivious to everything else-" _  
_

"Hey!" Lest cried indignantly.

"-remembered his own name, while you didn't." While he didn't mean for it to sound accusatory, it certainly sounded that way to Frey, no matter how passive-aggressive his voice sounded. "Is that not vexing?"

The amethyst eyed young man stared at Frey in shock. "You forgot your name was Frey?"

"Hey, it's a weird name!" Frey snapped at him before slumping, sighing. "... But so is Lest, isn't it...? So why couldn't I remember...?"

The knight sighed. "I still refuse to believe that you lost your memory but retained milord and milady's names, but... don't worry too much." Frey blinked up at her questioningly, and she clarified, "Er, t-that is... it is probably mere coincidence that your brother- Lest, was it?" Forte glanced at the amethyst eyed young man, who nodded. "That Lest remembered his while you forgot yours. At least you know now, and... that is what matters, isn't it?"

"I suppose so..." Frey still looked rather unsure, but otherwise she turned to Lest, asking, "Are you okay, though? I mean, we both woke up in this field... with no memory... are you hurt or anything?"

Lest blinked, then stretched out his arms, rolling up the sleeves of his robe to examine his skin before feeling his legs for any bruises or sensitive spots that may have incurred an injury. Once he was sure there were none, he shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Still..." Both twins looked towards the glasses-wearing young man, who pushed his glasses up before continuing. "You two were lying in a field, prone to attack, and when you both woke up, you discovered that you lacked the memories which stated how you managed to arrive here in the first place. That's dangerous."

"Gee, we couldn't tell." Lest replied dryly, much to Forte's chagrin.

"You will show respect to milord-" The knight's threatening was cut short by Arthur, who only chuckled and said, "Let him be, Forte. It seems to be in his character to reply to obvious statements with dryness." To his credit, Lest's cheeks colored pink in embarrassment, making Frey and Margaret snicker. The blond's brow furrowed, however. "Still... in your current state, we can't just leave you alone here to fend for yourselves."

"B-but milord...!" Forte's eyes were wide.

Arthur turned to her. "If their stories ARE true, we can't just leave them here confused. What kind of Shepherds would we be, then?"

"Erm..." The knight glanced at Margaret, only to sigh, seeing the elf fuss over Lest and Frey's robes  _("Are these custom-made?" "Lest's is. He didn't want the same robes as mine.")_ , so instead of asking for her support, she stated, "Well, I-I can't really go against your wishes, but we must still exercise caution. It would not do to let a Silver Wolf into our flock of Woolies."

Margaret tapped her clenched fist on her palm. "Right! Let's take them to town and sort them out over a nice dinner! We'll get to the bottom of this soon enough!  _And_ we'll get a nice dinner while we're at it!"

"W-what?!" Frey looked alarmed at this.

Lest, however, looked wary. "Don't we get a say in this?"

"Peace, the both of you- we'll hear what you have to say once we get there." Arthur held out a hand to Frey, who hesitated before timidly placing her hand on Arthur's. Glad that the pigtailed girl had accepted his hand, the blond let Frey walk between him and Forte - who wasn't eyeing her so much anymore now that she was sandwiched in between her and Arthur - while they walked away from the field, heading towards the open road just a few meters ahead. Margaret was in the rear, chatting up Lest.

"So... twins, huh?" Margaret smiled as they walked along, her hair swishing from side to side. "What's it like?"

Lest shrugged. "I... wouldn't exactly remember what it's like... seeing as that I've lost my memory, you know."

"Oh, right... sorry!" The elf looked abashed, which made the boy chuckle. "That's alright. But... I do remember that she and I were very close. We were inseparable."

Margaret listened intently as Lest continued, "Even if my mind is rather empty of memories of the two of us... I can remember feelings. And the feelings I had when I was with Frey... they were insurmountable by any other. We were the best of friends, even from the beginning... and no matter what happened, we were there to support each other. We were just that close." He turned his gaze to the back of Frey's head. "... It's kind of surprising, really... that I still remember this much, even if they are just emotions... when I'm not even sure if she remembers our own bond as vividly - or as vividly as I can - as I do."

"... I'm sure she does." Margaret touched his arm reassuringly, and he turned his gaze back to her. "Like you said, even if you lose the exact memories, you can somehow still remember the emotions associated with it."

"I'm pretty sure that's not what I said."

"Oh, you know what I mean!" The elf's cheeks puffed out, making Lest laugh and Forte glance back to make sure they were alright. Once she was certain they were fine, she turned back to the front, and Margaret continued, saying, "What I mean is, even if she's forgotten the memories, if she's anything like you, as your twin sister, she'll remember the emotions, and she'll treasure them just as much as you do. You two had a tearful reunion earlier, didn't you? That means she at least knows your importance in her life! And that's a fact!"

"..." Lest looked uncertain, but soon, he smiled gently. "... Thanks, Meg. You're right; I shouldn't doubt my own sister. She's mine, and I wouldn't trade her for the world."

"Glad to help!" Margaret smiled before gasping. "Hey, you used my nickname!"

The amethyst-eyed boy flushed. "Erm, i-is that okay? Margaret's a nice name, but like you said, it's shorter-"

"Yeah! It's absolutely fine!" The elf looked ecstatic. "Ooh, wait til' Xiao hears about this! I finally got someone to use my nickname even though I've known them for less than a day!"

**-=-**

"Miss Frey."

"Sir Arthur." Frey nodded in acknowledgement of the blond. "Did... I do something wrong?"

"Indeed you did." At the pale look on the green haired girl's face, Arthur chuckled. "No, no, it's nothing serious. You simply called me Sir Arthur just now. You can just call me Arthur, you know."

Frey looked uncertainly in Forte's direction, the knight now scouting ahead. "A-are you sure? Forte called you 'milord', which means you must hold some form of authority, and me just calling you Arthur-"

"-is because I have deigned to identify you as a comrade." Arthur gave her a gentle smile. "Peace, Frey. There is no need for formalities when we are comrades."

"... Well, if you're sure." Frey's posture soon relaxed, and as they walked on, she queried, "Seriously, where  _are_ we right now?"

The red eyed man tilted his head to the side before replying thoughtfully, "We are currently in the halidom of Selphia, on the Norad continent. Our benevolent ruler is Ventuswill, the exalt, and the Native Dragon of Wind-"

"Your ruler is a  _dragon._ " Frey gave him a look which clearly stated 'you've got to be kidding me'. "And you expect me to believe that."

The man chuckled. "Certainly. The exalt Ventuswill is the youngest of the four Native Dragons, who are all part of a unique shapeshifting race called 'guardians'."

"Guardians of what?"

"No one can say for sure, although most studies have proven that they were guardians of life itself." Arthur did a little hop, avoiding a particularly large rock on the path before continuing. "Guardians, from the beginning of their existence, have been the protectors of life and the essence of life itself: runes."

"Runes?"

Red eyes flashed behind glasses. "Runes. Let me give a proper example: humans like you and me live with body, mind and soul. Our forms are permanent, and we may never be revived again if we die, unless there is divine interference. Guardians, and monsters by extension, live with body, mind, soul and runes. The runes of this land are what they protect and their lifeblood: if a guardian were to die, as long as it had its runestone on its person, they will live again, and will continue to do so for thousands of years. However..." At this, Arthur grew a little somber. "If a guardian were to die without it, they will be like humans, and will die with no hope for revival. Such is the way of life."

"That's so sad..." Frey looked downcast. "Is your exalt the only living guardian right now?"

Arthur looked hesitant, but otherwise he nodded his head. "As far as we know... she is the last dragon guardian, anyway. Her sister Aquaticus's whereabouts are unknown, and Fiersome has died centuries ago protecting this land. Venti is all alone in this world."

"I see..." Frey blinked, then asked, "You called yourselves something... Shepherds, right?"

Arthur's smile was pleasant. "You were paying attention. That's good. Yes, we call ourselves Shepherds."

"You... tend to Woolies." The pigtailed girl deadpanned. "In full armor."

"It's a trying task, certainly." Arthur chuckled. "Just ask Forte the Wary over there."

"A-Arthur! Look over there!" The alarm in the elf's voice was prevalent, so much that the three ahead of them turned to look where she was pointing, only to gasp. The nearest town, only a few meters away, was in flames, the flames licking the rooftops and smoke rising into the sky, staining it a dreary gray. Screams could be heard, mostly from frantic villagers, and occasionally, laughter - cold, and insulting laughter - could be heard echoing.

Arthur swore, making Frey blink rapidly in surprise. "Those blasted brigands... Margaret, Forte! We must make haste!"

"But what about these two?" Forte gestured to the twins.

Margaret rolled her eyes. "Forte, unless they're on fire too, they can wait! Now  _come on!_ " And with that, the elf, the blond, and the knight all stormed towards the village, leaving the two amnesiacs to themselves, staring at each other.

"Should we...?" Lest blinked at Frey.

Frey shrugged. "Do we have anything better to do?"

"Breathing is one."

"Oh, you know what I mean."

"You've got a point. Let's move."

With quick running steps, the twins soon caught up to the small party, who were witnessing a rather brutal looking man holding a village woman by the neck, laughing heartily and declaring, "Lesshow these Selphian dogs how we party, eh? Grab anything shiny and worthwhile an' let the rest burn in hell!"

"Please, somebody! HELP!" The woman in his grasp screamed, hands grabbing at the arm that secured her to his side.

Forte growled. "We must help them, milord, before anything else burns down!"

"After this, these brigands won't even  _think_ of stepping on Selphia's grounds ever again..." Arthur grumbled, pulling out an odd shaped book. It looked like a six pointed star, but its purpose was clear: it was a magic tome. Arthur pushed his glasses up with his middle finger before taking a stance. "One finely aimed Water Laser should do the trick-"

"Wait!"

"Hold on a sec!"

"Lest! Frey!" Margaret, who had taken out her own harp, was surprised at the sudden arrival of the two twins, who panted. "You followed us?"

Lest let himself catch his breath before replying, "W-well... we didn't really have anything else to do... and w-we're armed, apparently!" To prove his point, he pulled out a tome from his right and a sword from his left, while Frey did the reverse: a sword on her right, and a tome on her left. "We can help chase them off... if you want us to, anyway."

"Strength in numbers." Arthur nodded, turning back to the village. "Just stay close to me or Forte and you'll be fine."

The twins nodded, then took their positions, one on either side of Arthur. Forte chose this moment to state, "Remember, the two of you. We face practiced thieves and murderers. It's kill or be killed, understand?" At their nods, the knight stiffened, then uttered, "Let's chase down these brigands once and for all!"

"I'll be here to stitch up your bones and cuts if you need me!" Margaret chirped, gesturing to her harp. "While I  _can_ attack with this, it's much more useful for healing you guys, and I get to help better! Just say the word and I'll strum you some healing melodies, got it?"

"Got it," were the words the other four uttered just before a blast of lightning singed the area near Frey, making the girl yelp and accidentally release a blast of flame in the same direction, unfortunately singing the arm of the mage who had fired the lightning at her, the poor man screaming in pain before running away. Lest only eyed the mage running away before uttering, "... Wow. That happened."

"No matter." Arthur's robes billowed as he stormed forward. "Let's move!"


	3. The Verge of History II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twin amnesiacs discover an innate ability for tactics. A knight's secrets, exposed. The knight, embarrassed. The neighboring empire, introduced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here we have part two of the poorly written crossover woooo

As one of Selphia's knights and Arthur and Margaret's personal dragon knight, Forte had seen battle many times.

The blonde's battle readiness was made clear to the two siblings as she deftly cut through a few bandits with her longsword, swinging and slinging it expertly as if it was nothing. The pupils in her eyes had shrunken to mere dots, letting them know that she was  _livid,_ seeing one of the villages she had sworn to protect along with the exalt being torn apart by brigands and common thieves. Lest, truth be told, was in awe of how amazing she looked in battle, each slice deft and precise as she knocked down enemies back and forth, her ponytail swinging to and fro just as quickly as she.

Not that he wasn't noticing Margaret as well, truth be told. The elf was dancing alongside Forte with each step, strumming away injuries should an enemy land a blow on the battle-scarred knight, hair flying free as her voice, melodious and high, sang forth, reinforcing the healing melodies that her mysterious harp wailed into the wind. Well, wailed wasn't really the most appropriate term, but it would do. Occasionally she herself would fire a helpful note should she deem that Forte needed the help, but otherwise she stuck to being a healer. A perky, song spewing healer.

"Lest, behind you!"

"Whoa!" The amethyst eyed boy turned quickly and raised his sword, deflecting a fireball that had been tossed his way by a rogue mage before storming forward and stabbing straight through the other's tome, ripping it clean in half before pointing his sword at the mage. "I'm giving you a choice. Flee, or die."

It was no secret as to what the mage chose.

Frey glanced back at her brother once the thief she had been fighting backed off to lick his wounds before attempting to fight her again. "Lest, what're you doing? Remember what Forte said? 'Kill or be killed'. Why're you letting him go?"

"..." Lest stared off after the mage whose tome he had sliced in half. "... I'd rather not kill someone whose only form of defense is already down."

"What kind of logic is that?! They're  _murderers_ and  _thieves!_ "

"They're people too, Frey!" Lest protested, sheathing his sword and facing his sister indignantly. "Do you really want to sully your hands with anyone's blood?!"

" _Lest-"_

_"Frey-"_

**"ENOUGH!"**

Both twins stopped in their bickering to face Forte and Arthur, the former's hands clutching her sword tightly and the latter's hand pushing his glasses up his nose, a passive look on his face. It took a while for them to realize that it had been Arthur who had yelled and not Forte, and they gaped as the blond spoke quickly but quietly. "I understand your concerns, Lest, but for peace to be maintained in Selphia, we must eliminate the problems as quickly and efficiently as possible."

"But what about their families? Their friends?" Lest was frantic. "They're  _people_ , Arthur...!"

Forte sighed. "And what about the people  _they_ killed, Lest? Do they not have families and friends too?"

"..."

"It... displeases me too, you know. Seeing so much unnecessary bloodshed." Arthur raised a finger and pointed behind him, shooting a bolt of lightning at a brigand that was attempting to ambush them. The brigand yelped once the bolt grazed his arm, running away as Arthur continued, saying, "But as a Shepherd, it is my duty... to maintain the peace and order. And if it involves a life being traded for a life... then so be it."

"..." Lest was quiet as he stared at his hands.

Margaret quickly hopped up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, if you don't want to fight, it's okay. I'll help you escape to a safer place; I'm sure Forte can handle without her favorite healer for a while!" She winked at the knight, who only made a flustered face and looked away. "... Hey. Come on. It'll be okay. We can go-"

"No. I'm staying." The young man stood up, pulling out his sword once more. "I want to help. You're right; a life lost must be paid back in turn to maintain the peace. It is... only fair." Each word he spoke was strained, but otherwise, Arthur accepted his declaration wordlessly before turning back to the fight with Forte, who had begun storming forward once more, cutting each enemy she came across.

Frey, however, stood still, narrowing her eyes at the man who had spoken earlier, standing triumphantly near a storehouse. "..."

"Frey?" Lest glanced at his sister. "What're you doing?"

"... Look." A finger pointed at the man in the distance. "You see it too, don't you?"

Glancing in his direction, Lest narrowed his eyes himself, only to blink rapidly, gaping. "You mean..."

"Yes." The pigtailed girl's lips pursed as she scrutinized him. "Only wielding a hand axe, which means he can throw it if we were to attack him with magic-"

"-and his size interferes with his accuracy, weighing him down greatly." Lest finished, putting a hand on his hip as he twirled his sword. "He's flanked by a mage and a thief-"

"-look, there's a soldier and an archer nearby, too-"

"-we'll have to get Forte to clear the way-"

"-Arthur can take down the mage if Meg heals him with her harp-"

"-leaving the thief open for me to take down-"

"-and leaving the big guy unguarded!"

"If you two are done chatting, maybe we can get back to the battle?" Both twins flushed a bright red as Forte stormed back to them, armor bloodied and scratched up. "That person over there is flanked by his so-called 'elite brigands', so it's not going to be very easy."

Frey and Lest looked at each other, then grinned cattily, both at the other and at Forte, who blinked, unsettled by the look they were giving her. "Erm... w-what're you... smiling for...?"

"You look like you've both got a plan." Arthur commented, approaching them. His own purple cloak was stained an unsettling blood red, though thankfully, they could tell it wasn't his, since he wasn't staggering or anything. Margaret was clean all over, save for the splatter of blood near the bottom of her tights (but that had come from Forte accidentally slashing too quickly at a brigand's knee). "Do tell, Frey. Lest."

Frey began. "Well, you see-"

"-it's a strange thing, really-" And thus began the twins' rant.

"-we're both able to see things-"

"-and size up the enemy per se-"

"-so we sized up the man over there and we-"

"-think we've formulated the most effective way through them to-"

"-get to the big guy and take him down!"

Margaret raised a hand, about to ask a question, only to be cut off by them beginning again. "Really simple, really-"

"-take down the soldier and the archer in the front with Forte-"

"-Meg'll support Arthur taking down the mage-"

"-Lest'll take down the thief-"

"-provided that Frey provides backup with thunder-"

"-and the big guy's open for the attack!"

 "Ta daaa!" Both of them sang out, grinning widely. "A well-formulated plan!"

...

Forte and Margaret looked at each other as Arthur tilted his head to the side. "... And you got all of this... just from  _looking_ at him?"

"We... did say it was a strange thing that we can do." Lest scratched the back of his head, suddenly aware of how odd they had been acting.  _Gee, that's a great way to gain their trust, Suspicious Suspiciouspants._

Frey flipped through her tome idly. "... And perhaps more... if we applied ourselves..."

"... So are we really following through with this...  _plan_ they thought of?" Forte glanced at Arthur warily. _  
_

The glasses-wearing man considered this for a moment, brow furrowed, before nodding. "I trust the both of you. It seems like a reasonable plan to me."

"If we all die, it's on their souls." Forte grumbled.

-=-

 "... I take back everything I said." Forte drew out, eyes wide.

Minutes after the twins had shared the tactics they had managed to think up in a few minutes with Arthur, Margaret and Forte, they had put it to use - albeit with a little bit of reluctance from Forte's end, seeing as that they barely knew the twins and were suddenly taking orders in the middle of battle from them - and had inadvertently found the large brigand that had served as the 'leader' dead at their feet, hand axe embedded in the wall of the storehouse he had been lounging in front of. The woman he had been clutching was now currently thanking them profusely, tears in her eyes as she praised them and their good souls.

"Well, that's the end of that, I suppose." Arthur tucked his six pointed tome back inside his purple cloak before gazing at them intently. "... Looks like I'll have to wash this again when we get to the capital."

"Lucky for the town we were close by, huh?" Margaret rounded on the twins. "But holy lightflowers, the two of you! Swords, sorcery  _and_ tactics! I mean, sure Frey focuses more on her magic and Lest is more of a swordfighter, STILL! You can do both,  _and_ you can think up of battle strategies on the go! You're both so  _amazing!_ Is there anything you both can't do?!"

"Well, Lest can't-"

"You're certainly no helpless victims, that's for sure." Arthur's gaze was soon trained on the both of them.

Forte sheathed her bloodied sword. "Perhaps now you may have an explanation for how you came to arrive here in Selphia?"

"Forte..." Frey clasped her hands. "I know you may not believe us, but that's really all we know right now. We would share more, but as it is... we still do not know the whole picture about our own selves. Please, believe me. Believe us."

"You fought to save Selphian lives, Frey, Lest." Arthur's hand found its way to where his heart was. "And my heart says that is enough."

"And what about your mind, milord? Does it not hold the same amount of authority as your heart?" Forte pried.

The red eyed man turned to his knight. "The Shepherds could use someone with their talents, Forte. With two of them, we'll have two tacticians, one for Selphia, and one for Lichtblume, essentially. We've got visitors from all the other kingdoms seeking to stain the soil red with Selphian blood, and you want to lose their talents because of distrust?"

"Well, erm-"

"Besides..." He turned back to the twins, smiling reassuringly. "... Strange as it seems, I do believe their story. They seem earnest enough."

"T-thank you, Arthur..." Although she tried to mask it, Frey's gratitude was clear in her shining green eyes. "It means a lot to us, really."

"So, how about it, you two?" Margaret tilted her head. "Wanna be a Shepherd?"

The twins looked at each other, then nodded, Lest speaking for the both of them. "We'd love to, Meg. Thank you."

"Did you notice, milord?" Forte opened conversation once more as they neared the exit to the village, heading towards the forest nearby. "They spoke with the accent of the Empire."

"The Empire?" Lest glanced at Forte in confusion."

The knight nodded. "The Sechs Empire. The westerly neighbor of Selphia. Most of the time they send small bands of brigands into our territory, hoping to instigate a war between our kingdoms."

"And it's the villagers that suffer for it!" Margaret's grip on her harp tightened as she strummed an angry note. "Innocent lives, their blood spilled unnecessarily by people who can't tell the difference between good and evil...!" Her voice cracked at the end as she bit her lip.

Forte glanced back at the elf, a gentle look crossing her face. "They have us, though, Meg: Shepherds, to protect the sheep. Don't worry so much."

"It's hard not to..." Margaret sniffed, then strummed a slightly happier note on her harp. "Don't worry, one day... I'll get used to all this."

"Wait, milord! Milady!"

"Huh?" The small party turned back, seeing a villager run up to them, hands clasped in eagerness. "Milord, please, you must stay the night! We are simple folk of simple means, but we would gladly raise our glasses in a toast to your valor with a feast!"

Arthur's gaze softened in the villager's direction, smiling before shaking his head. "A most generous offer, but I'm afraid we must decline. We must hurry back to the capital."

"A large glass of pineapple juice and the finest apple pie you've got, and if you can, keep the squid-related dishes away from- WHAT?!" The elf had been on a tirade of her favorite foods, eyes closed in blissful imagination, when Arthur had politely declined the villager's offer, snapping her awake and making her stomp her foot. "We're not staying here for the night?! Arthur, it's nearly dark, don't you see?"

Lest looked towards the sun setting in the hills. "She's right, though. It's nearly dark; are we really not going to take up on their offer?"

"When night falls, we shall camp." Arthur adjusted his glasses as he pulled out his six pointed star tome once more, opening it and flipping through the pages. When Frey glanced at it from behind him, she could see various notes scribbled all over: apparently, it doubled as a notebook. "While you know how I am about these sorts of things, I am not adverse to it if it means that we'll survive."

"But they're offering to feed up and host us for the night-!" Margaret waved her arms around in an attempt to emphasize her point.

Lest could've sworn he saw Forte smirk in the dying sunlight. "We are going to eat off the land, make our bed of twigs - though I suppose you'll want the softer ferns for your own bed, won't you? After all..." The knight's eyes glinted mischievously, a sight that made the twins snicker. "... I believe you mentioned you would 'get used to all this'?"

"Arthur? Forte?" Margaret crossed her arms and huffed. "Sometimes I hate both of you."

Frey nodded at the villager. "It's alright. We'll be fine; thank you for the offer though."

"We'll never forget the service you did to our little village, miss!" The villager bowed, then scurried back to one of the houses, shutting the door behind them.

"You seem like a lot of fun at parties." Lest told Forte, who only sputtered and faced away from them, pulling her helmet's visor down to cover her quickly reddening face.

The elf's ears twitched in annoyance. "'Fun' is one way of putting it, I guess, but I can think of a  _few others_ more  _appropriate_ to describe-"

"Calm yourself, Meg." Arthur chuckled, then turned to Frey and Lest. "Forte only smiles when she's about to bring down her sword. Oh, and when she's given sweets... and if she sees the most adorable little-"

"Y-you DO realize I'm still present, right?" Forte's visor covered her face entirely, making her voice echo with a clanging quality, but otherwise the embarrassment was clear, radiating off of her in waves.

"Oh, we realize." Frey giggled at Arthur's carefully practiced smirk, which was barely visible due to the fact that his face always appeared to be in a look of serenity, the incredibly minuscule movements of his mouth and eyebrows the only indicator of what emotion he was currently feeling. "It's nothing to be ashamed, of, Forte. Woolies and Pomme Pommes are indeed very cute-"

"SHALL WE BE GOING, THEN?" Forte's voice rose over Arthur's, trying hard not to sound strained or embarrassed, but failing anyway, making the rest of the party laugh at her expense. Forte coughed, clearing her throat, before raising her visor once more so that her face could be seen, all the redness in her face mostly gone, all except for the faint red traces on her cheeks. "Er-hem, a-as I was saying... shall we be going, then, everybody?"

Arthur glanced at everyone. "Is everyone ready to say goodbye to fine dining for tonight?"

"Wait, wait, let me let it go..." Margaret turned back to the village, staring at it wistfully as she dabbed a little at her eye with an embroidered hanky.

Lest raised an eyebrow. "Meg, are you...  _crying_?"

"N-no, I'm... I'm letting it go..." Margaret sniffed, then took a deep breath before turning back to them. "Alright, I've let it go... let's go before it comes back to me."

"You're being melodramatic." Frey stated dryly.

"Do you want us to sleep on sticks or not?!"

"Peace, friends." Arthur placed his hands on Margaret and Frey's shoulders respectively. "It's time we got going, don't you think? The Silver Wolves will be out soon."

The elf and the pigtailed tactician visibly shuddered at the thought of the lupine monsters out in the forest. Lest, however, seemed ecstatic, and asked, "Are they tameable Silver Wolves?"

"I believe so, yes, but we don't exactly have room for one right now." Arthur thought about it, then added, "If Xiao Pai gives us the go signal, then that means there is room in the castle stables for a monster or two, and then you can tame a Silver Wolf."

Lest looked like he had just won the lottery.

Hollering and whooping, he linked his arms with Frey and Margaret's, and then jogged off merrily towards the forest, singing in a rather loud voice about taming monsters and Silver Wolves under the pale moonlight, the elf smiling at this little tirade and his sister facepalming in embarrassment. Arthur, however, didn't follow immediately at first, noticing that Forte wasn't responding.

The red eyed man glanced back at Forte, who appeared to be staring off into space. "... Forte? Are you alright?"

"Ah-! I'm fine, milord." Forte shook her head rapidly, then nodded at Arthur respectfully before furrowing her brow. "It's strange, though..."

"What is?"

Eyes like ice stared at the moon intently. "... Frey and Lest... they're both strange individuals, aren't they?"

"If their story is anything to base off of, then yes, they are indeed peculiar." Arthur's gaze became serious. "But that's not what you're talking about, are you?"

Forte shook her head. "No, Arthur. It's... I feel as though something is going to happen. Something... big."

"What something?"

"Like... a world-changing event." She turned to him. "And they're both involved in it. I can just feel it."

"..." Arthur gazed at her intently, scrutinizing her, before uttering, "... Perhaps you may be right, and something will happen involving them. But we cannot say for sure, seeing as that we barely know them, and they barely know themselves." He softened his gaze. "My heart tells me that if we stick by the two of them, we can get through anything that this world throws at us, as long as we don't lose them."

"..."

"Hey! Arthur! Forte! You coming?" Frey called from the distance, waving her arms. Lest and Margaret had already gone on ahead into the forest, leaving the green haired girl to call for her two other companions.

Arthur glanced at her before calling back, "You go on ahead, Frey! We'll catch up in a minute!"

"Okay! Hurry up, the two of you!" Even from a distance, her smile was evident as she waved at them once more before turning, heading into the forest.

Arthur watched as the ends of her pigtails disappeared into the bushes before he noted that Forte had been talking. "Erm, pardon me, but what did you say?"

"I said, we should get going, milord. Wouldn't want to keep your lady waiting, would we?" Forte's face was passive, but the mischievous twinkle in her eyes said otherwise.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Very amusing, Forte. But yes, let us go."

As the sun finally sank behind the hills to the west, bathing the village they had just visited and the rest of the land in relaxing darkness, and fireflies began to emerge from their hiding places within flowers and under leaves, the little band of Shepherds trekked forward and into the forest, Arthur and Forte soon catching up to the other three as they began searching for a place to set up camp within the forest. All was peaceful as they gathered twigs and kindling for their campfire, the birds in the trees twittering a little before they settled down into their nests, ready for a well-deserved rest.

And all the while, Arthur D. Lawrence's cheeks were tinged an embarrassing red, still reflecting on Forte's words.


	4. Unwelcome Change I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected occurrence in the woods wreaks terror into the hearts of the small party, but a masked magician comes to the rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: WHOOPS I FINISHED UP THIS CHAPTER HALF ASLEEP I FIXED SOME TYPOS HERE WE GO

"Eeeugh. Look at this!" Margaret whined, shaking off something sticky she had touched when she had put her hand on a tree trunk. "It's too dark to see what I'm even  _touching_! Oh gods, what if I touched something  _dangerous?!_ I could be dying right now and it's going to be all your-"

"Meg. You're not going to die." Arthur stressed for the umpteenth time.

After forming a campfire in a rather large clearing in the middle of a group of tightly clustered trees, the little party of Shepherds had been discussing what to do once the sun rose over a nice quiet dinner of berries and Elefun meat. Well, all of them except for Forte and Margaret, anyway.

"I still don't understand how you guys can manage to eat monster meat!" The elf stared at Arthur, who was quietly nibbling at his own slab of Elefun meat on a stick. With a grossed out look, she popped another berry into her mouth before continuing, "I mean, you can tame these guys, and you can ride them, and you can care for them and fight them and you choose to EAT THEM? How does that even work?! I mean, they go right back into the Forest of Beginnings after you kill them, don't they? So how are you cooking  _Elefun meat?!"_

The spectacles-wearing man replied in an amused tone, "Margaret, we were kidding about it being Elefun meat. That is just regular meat from one of the wandering bears around the forest. Regular animals  _do_ exist, Margaret."

"Oh, thank  _goodness_ it's not a real monster." Pause. "Wait, there are  _bears_ in these woods?!"

"You're going to call them closer if you keep screaming, Meg." Frey stated dryly, nibbling at the blackened corner of her own slab as Lest practically devoured his. Smearing a berry all over one side of her hunk of meat, the pigtailed tactician asked, "You honestly didn't know there were bears in these woods, Meg?"

Margaret blinked, then fussed, "Well, I mean I know bears exist in woods, but I didn't- I didn't think there'd be any when  _I_ was in the woods myself!"

"Geez, it's like you haven't lived in something like a forest all your life." Forte snorted, then popped a berry into her own mouth. "What sort of Lichtblumian are you, Meg?"

"Lichtblumian?" Both twins echoed.

Arthur blinked, and then chuckled. "Ah, that's right. We forgot to mention: Margaret is a foreigner."

"Well, gee, we kind of got that from her pointy ears." Lest jabbed his thumb at Margaret's elf ears, which twitched as a response. "But if she's a foreigner, what's she doing with you guys? Sightseeing?"

Frey chided, "She's a Shepherd too, Lest. Didn't you pay attention?"

"I know that, but couldn't she be a Shepherd in her own country?"

"There aren't any Shepherds in Lichtblume as far as I know," Margaret confessed, playing with one of the flowers twined in her hair rather wistfully. "And the Shepherds' task of peace maintenance extends over to our kingdom of Lichtblume as well, so if I go back to Lichtblume and I hear any word about trouble, I can ask for Arthur and the Shepherds' assistance in handling it."

Lest was quiet for a moment before replying. He sounded awed. "That's... that's really nice of the Shepherds. You guys are really kindhearted to include the wellbeing of a neighboring country in your agenda for peace."

"Lichtblume has been friends with Selphia from the very beginning. It is only natural that we strengthen the bonds of our two nations by extending an offer of peace and protection in exchange for the same from them." Arthur put his stick down before emitting a small yawn, reaching up to cover his mouth as he did so. "Oh dear. It's getting late: we should be getting some sleep, shouldn't we?"

Forte nodded. "Indeed, milord. Shall I keep watch for tonight?"

"It will not be necessary, at least, for now. We are far enough from society that, while we can still see villages, they will not be able to reach us."

"Still, precautionary measures are a must. We should at least kill the fire until we're left with mere embers. The smoke could serve as a signal to enemies."

"Forte's right. I'll do it." Frey turned to their blazing fire, pulling out her tome and concentrating for a few moments before wind slashed at the flames, killing it but not dousing it so much that no embers were left behind. Because of Frey's deft handling of the wind tome, at least five red hot embers remained on the fire pit, radiating enough warmth for the little party, but not emitting any smoke for anyone from far away to see. "That should do it."

Arthur's head tilted ever so slightly to the side as he smiled in the dying light of the fire. "You're quite skilled with magic, Frey. But I suppose that's not an unusual thing to say to you, being a tactician and all. Does Lest have the same affinity for magic as you do?"

"He's... more into swordfighting, actually." Frey glanced at her brother, who was quietly polishing his sword with one of the larger leaves he had plucked from a nearby tree with a texture similar to that of a wiping cloth. "I mean, we can do both, but we prefer one over the other. It doesn't hurt to learn how to handle more ways to defend yourself, after all."

The blond nodded. "Indeed. Perhaps I shall attempt to learn other methods myself one day; tome wielding is not very viable in close combat."

"It  _is,_ kind of, but only if you're really good at it." Frey twirled a long lock of hair around two of her fingers. "Only those who have mastered tome wielding can handle even casting a dangerous spell close to their enemies, and even then it's a hazard to themselves. I know... I tried once."

"Ah, another memory has resurfaced?"

"Not very important, but yes." Frey shed one of her gloves to show Arthur a particularly nasty burn that encompassed most of her right hand. "A burn from an Elfire tome. I got it when I was a child who had just mastered Fire tomes. I was so excited to use Elfire, that I ran and set fire to a plant and burned my own hand in the process. It was... a stupid move, I remember." Her gaze turned a bit embarrassed. "Lest was crying then; he hadn't learned Elwater or Heal yet and he didn't know what to do..."

"..." Arthur watched silently as Frey put her glove back on before drawing her knees up to her chin, folding her arms on top of them and resting her chin on them, sighing. "You must think I'm really silly now, huh? Burning my hand on a simple Elfire tome..."

The glasses-wearing man blinked at her words, then chuckled, startling her. "I find that I am thinking the opposite, actually."

"Huh?"

"How old were you when you were halfway through mastering Fire?"

"Well..." Frey counted on her fingers. "I... am going to take a wild guess and assume that it's at the age of seven or eight because I started learning Fire when I was... six?"

"And you mastered Fire at what age?"

"Um... l _et's see... that would be two years..._ I'm guessing at age nine?"

"My point has been made." Arthur's smile, though not noticeable in the darkness, was wider than normal. "Someone like you, who started learning magic at the age of six and mastered the basics at nine... why would I laugh at the mistakes that made you the way you are now?"

"..." Frey stared at him.

Arthur turned back to the fire pit. Only four embers now remained in it. "For a person to improve, they must make repeated mistakes, and understand that they have made mistakes, and attempt different courses of action from the ones that led to said mistakes. If you failed to make mistakes all the time, you would have the idea that you are 'perfect' ingrained in your head, and thus, you would not attempt to improve upon yourself further, and remain at a certain rung of ability until your progress becomes stagnant. If, however, your wins were occasionally peppered with losses, you would see that there is much to do in regards to the improvement of oneself, and strive to better yourself." He took his glasses off, folding them up and taking out a case from inside his cloak and putting them inside. "There is no perfect human being, for we all have flaws. But those flaws are what make us human, and it is what motivates us to become better, both for ourselves and for others, and it is what will one day help the world."

"... I see..." Frey watched as Arthur stretched a little before unbuttoning his purple cloak and draping it over himself, making it a makeshift blanket. "Ah, you're going to sleep now?"

"Yes, and it would do you well to get some rest as well." The man's eyes seemed to glow in the dying light of the embers. "Come here. We can share my cloak if you need it."

Beat.

"... O-oh no!" Frey waved her hands around, shaking her head as her voice echoed panic. "I-I'm going to be fine, I swear! I have a cloak and e-everything and  _I'm going to be fine-_ "

"Are you certain?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "I hear it's going to be rather cold tonight."

"P-positive!"

"Well, if you're sure." He smiled gently, then patted the ground near him. "Come, let us rest. We have a long trip before we reach the capital tomorrow, Miss Frey."

The tactician glanced over at Margaret and Lest, who had already fallen asleep in their own respective places, with Margaret curled up in a fetal position, blanketed by a bunch of large leaves similar to the one that Lest had used to clean his sword, while Lest had folded some of those leaves into a pillow, lying down on his side and snoring quietly. A small smile crossed her face as she moved to lie down on the ground, which was surprisingly cool, but not cool enough that she was practically lying down on an ice block. Whispering a quiet "Good night..." to the rest of the party, Frey let her eyelids flutter closed, and within a few minutes, she was sound asleep with the rest of them.

Somewhere else in the forest, footsteps resounded in the cool night air.

-=-

_Rustle... rustle..._

Margaret, despite all her claims, was a rather proud young elf, prideful of both her heritage and its abilities. Lichtblumians consisted mostly of elves, and nearly all of them had excellent hearing, and excelled with flying colors in activities that required the use of their voices. Most of them had a natural affinity for the arts such as music and gardening, and luckily enough, she was one of the best at both.

It was Margaret's extremely sensitive hearing that had warned her of the change in Arthur's breathing pattern, making her ear twitch in response as she let one eye open up lazily, shifting so that she was facing Arthur, who was lying down across from her and shifting in place, eventually sitting up and looking around, eyes narrowed as he put on his glasses once more. Concerned, the elf sat up as well, making him glance in her direction as she asked, "Everything alright, Arthur?"

"Why are you- ah, never mind. I forgot that elves have sensitive hearing." The blond shook his head. "My apologies for waking you up, Meg."

"That's not the important thing here. What woke you up?"

"I'm not certain, but... I feel as though... something is amiss..."

Margaret raised an eyebrow. "Define 'something'."

 "I said 'I wasn't certain'." With a rather anxious look, he stood up, minding Frey's pigtails, which had splayed out around her in messy pinwheels of green on the ground while donning his purple cloak once more, buttoning it up and lacing up what few tassels he needed to. "I'm going to go take a look around."

The elf's ears twitched crossly. "Not alone, you won't! I'm coming with you, and there's no way you can stop me!"

"... I suppose I can't dissuade you, then." Arthur smiled at the elf as she stood up herself, dusting herself off and picking up her harp. He patted the tome in his cloak as well. "Thank you, Meg. Shall we, then?"

-=-

A few minutes later, the two were quietly walking around in the forest, letting the crickets chirp noisily all around them, though the sound seemed to be muted as they traipsed further on from the campsite. Arthur had made certain that Forte wouldn't wake unless provoked by a very loud noise by dropping a cloth over her eyes and ears to stifle any sounds, while Margaret had twined flowers around Frey and Lest's ears - large ones with large petals that curved like sickle blades  _("Klingenull," Margaret explained as Arthur raised an eyebrow at her actions. "Flowers native to Lichtblume and Sharance, but I guess some people managed to get them to grow here in Selphia too. They block out sounds if you put them near your ears.")_ \- to make sure the twins didn't wake up either.

"It's so dark and quiet here in the woods..." Margaret's hands made their way to her upper arms as she shuddered. "I hope no bears o-or monsters get us..."

Arthur's brow furrowed. "Something's wrong here... I just can't seem to place it..."

_RUMBLE!_

And just like that, the earth started to shake.

The sudden movement elicited a squeal from Margaret and an annoyed noise from Arthur, who said, "Gods, what even - Meg, don't stray too far from me! Stay nearby!"

"Like I want to go anywhere else, Arthur!" The elf wailed.

As Arthur whirled around to wrap his arms around Margaret, who immediately curled into him for protection, trees began collapsing all around them, getting uprooted as the minutes passed by, the rumbling growing stronger and stronger as it went on. Noting the danger, Arthur said in a low voice, "Meg, run."

"W-wha? Arthur?" The elf was suddenly caught unawares when Arthur, in a surprising surge of strength, pushed her in the opposite direction of the collapsing trees. "I mean it. GO!"

"R-right!" The elf, though initially startled, now had her lips pressed into a thin line in determination as she ran away, heading as far away as possible from the cataclysmic event that was now tearing through the earth, Arthur not too far behind her, running behind her as quickly as he could to catch up. Margaret ran, and ran, and ran some more, not caring even when some branches tore through her stockings and ribbons and left some of them stuck to the nearby greenery. Those didn't matter; she could get more ribbons when she got back to Selphia or Lichtblume.

What mattered now was that their lives were at stake.

The ground shifted and cracked behind Arthur as they continued to run, uprooting more trees along the way. At one point, it cracked just enough so that the area Arthur and Margaret were running around in collapsed slowly as the other half that had been previously connected to it rose above it, making a tsunami of lava rise to the surface, firing balls of fire and magma at the still standing trees around them.

"This way!" Arthur, having caught up to Margaret, steered both of them through a relatively safe pathway through some fallen trees that had formed a passageway, despite the flames licking at the forest all around them. As they reached the end of the tunnel, Arthur jumped down into a much lower plot of land, and turned around, catching a shrieking Margaret in his arms before placing her gently on the ground, staring back at the fiery mess they had just managed to escape. While breathless, both moved to turn around, ready to run some more, only for Margaret to point a finger at something, asking, "Arthur, what IS that?!"

Suddenly, it was like a hole had ripped clean through the sky.

Actually, a more accurate description would have noted that this hole in the sky was surrounded by ancient arcane symbols in a magic circle, the hole itself in the center of an eye-like 'structure' - Arthur wasn't quite sure how to describe it himself - that glowed and 'blinked' in the center of the magic circle. The hole looked like one of the tears in Margaret's stockings, minus the torn part.

What scared them both, however, were the... the  _things_ that fell out of the hole in the sky.

They were humanoid, certainly, with all their limbs intact, but the sounds they made were absolutely  _not_ human at all. Groaning, moaning, and wheezing as if they had inhaled twenty gallons of nitrogen (and possibly not even that), the things were also purple and sluggish and most likely  _dead_ , complete with glowing red eyes and mouths with missing teeth. The armor they wore were battle scarred and torn, as if they were remnants of a war that had not been kind to them. And to top it all off, black smoke emanated from all possible crevices.

"Meg, you had best stand back." Arthur took out his tome just as one of the creatures screeched, and immediately the red-eyed mage cast an Elwater in its direction, knocking it against a nearby tree. The other one stormed closer to Arthur and swung its axe at his neck, making him duck backwards as Margaret 'eep'ed, skittering away nervously as she sang a triad of notes and played it on her harp, revitalizing Arthur enough to allow him to cast Elthunder, effectively bringing it down. As the creature faded away into black smoke, Arthur breathed heavily, staring down at where it had been, until Margaret screamed in a trilling voice, causing him to turn around in panic and rage. "Margaret!"

Said elf had been cornered against a rock by one of the undead creatures, breathing down her neck with the black smoke that oozed from every crevice and stitch on its body, groaning. Margaret, sobbing and terrified, didn't even bother using what little offensive capabilities her harp could provide - not when it could merely just provoke the enemy into killing her faster. She shut her eyes, scared.  _Oh Gods, this is how I'm going to die. I'm going to die getting eaten alive by a monster whose name I don't even know! I don't know what I'd do anymore; guess I'm going to have t-to just suck it up and watch myself die, then... goodbye w-world... goodbye Arthur... thank you for protecting me... goodbye Frey, Lest... I'm going to miss you both even though I just met you guys, hahaha... and I'm going to miss you the most, Forte... I just wish-_

"ELWATER!"

And just like that, a blast of water knocked the monster's weapon out of its hands.

Margaret let one eye flutter open, and let her breath catch in her throat when she saw what she assumed was a male - a  _male -_ holding up a tome and casting spells at the monster as more poured out of the hole in the sky. The lad was masked by an intricate looking mask that looked like a butterfly, the top half of his face covered entirely save for his nose and the three slits on either butterfly wing allowing him sight as he whipped around and cast more spells, his cape fluttering in the wind. "Elwind! Elfire! Elthunder!"

"W-whoa..." Margaret could only watch in awe as her savior knocked down some more monsters, though at one point, despite the difficulty, she turned her head in Arthur's direction, yelling, "HELP!"

"... Right!" And with that, both blonds began taking down their assailants with blast of magic here and there. Arthur offhandedly noted the lad's fondness for the Elfire and Elthunder tome among the others, momentarily making a mental comparison between him and Frey, who was probably still sound asleep in front of the fire, her hands folded on her lap.

Probably.

Soon, however, all the monsters had been cleared out, leaving Margaret to stand up, albeit shakily, still staring at the blond stranger who had just assisted in saving her, who was most likely a stranger as well to him. Arthur, however, seemed a little more wary, a small part of Forte's demeanor seeping into his sentences as he asked quietly, "That was quite the entrance there, good sir. What, pray tell, might be your name?"

There was no time for the visitor to reply, however, as Frey, Lest and Forte soon burst from the bushes worriedly, Forte demanding, "Milord, milady, are you three unharmed?!"

"Forte! Lest, Frey!" Margaret's voice seemed thick with emotion as more of the creatures made ghastly noises around them. "Oh, I'm so glad you're all safe...!"

Frey's eyes narrowed at the new arrivals. "Are these things native to this place?"

"Certainly not from Ylisse, that's for sure."

"Thank the gods..." Forte let herself get embraced by the newly rescued elf before declaring, "I'm glad you're safe, Meg. I don't... I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You should thank the masked man who saved me!" Margaret piped up, getting a starry look in her eyes. "If it wasn't for him, I'd be- hey, wait a minute." She looked around, confused. "Where did he go? I swear he was here a moment ago!"

Lest drew his sword out. "We can worry 'bout him later. AFTER we put these things to the blade. Let us all be professional a second and keep our eyes open. We know nothing about these guys, and it's best if we got the upper hand. Shall we, then?"

"..." Arthur glanced at the growing mass of monsters. "... Alright then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please answer this poll thingy i made wheee http://www.easypolls.net/poll.html?p=552bc978e4b0908d4e83aede
> 
> lichtblume - German: licht meaning 'light'; blume meaning 'flower'
> 
> klingenull - German: klingen meaning 'sound'; null meaning 'zero'


	5. Unwelcome Change II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected person joins the little band of Shepherds in the woods, just as more of the new creatures emerge from the eye in the sky. In the capital, Frey and Lest meet the Wind Dragon, Ventuswill.

As the little group of Shepherds arranged themselves into a certain formation - Margaret in the back but with easy access to all four of them to heal them, Frey and Arthur as magic users behind close combat fighters Lest and Forte - , Frey glanced at the surroundings, sizing up the terrain, only for her gaze to land on some rather odd structures scattered around the forest. "Are those...?"

"Abandoned forts, yes." Forte glanced at the slightly broken down structures nearby. "They once housed the troops that protected our country and Lichtblume from forest ambushes."

"We should take shelter in them whenever possible, then." Lest declared, unsheathing his sword. "It's no doubt that they will offer distinct advantages in battle."

Margaret looked at him in awe. "How can you be sure?"

"Tactician's intuition."

"Speaking of which..." Frey rummaged around her pockets before pulling out the flowers Margaret had twined near their ears. "Margaret, what  _are_ these flowers? They seem pretty handy for blocking out noises."

"Klingenull flowers!" The elf happily replied. "I'll tell you more about them later. Right now, we've got some... some Risen to take down!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Risen?"

"That's the name I'm going to call them! Easier on the tongue, isn't it?" The Lichtblumian looked rather proud of her achievement as she turned back to the Risen, shuddering a little when the nearest one's head lolled about as if it didn't have a spinal cord attached to its head. "Eurgh... they look like zombies, now that I think about it. All dead and stitched up... and they smell absolutely  _horrible!_ I'm never going to be able to smell right again!"

Lest shrugged. "Well, they  _are_ the dead,  _risen_ again."

Beat.

"Eh? Anyone?"

"... If you weren't my brother I would have gutted you with the blunt end of my sword." Frey deadpanned.

The amethyst eyed boy looked miffed. "Oh come on! That was pretty appropriate, wasn't it?!"

"Let's just get to fighting already." Forte groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose before aiming her sword at the nearest Risen. "Come at thee, monsters!"

-=-

Defeating the Risen had been more difficult than the twins had anticipated.

For starters, some of them used spears now. Others threw javelins, and at one point, Frey could've sworn one of them was riding a  _minotaur_. Which, much to her annoyance, made her a little jealous, because she had always wanted to tame a rideable monster. Still, there was no room for envious thoughts in a tactician's mind, and thus, she focused her mind once more on devising battle strategies on the go.

"Frey, look out!"

"Whoa!" The pigtailed tactician dropped to the ground just as a barrage of arrows came flying past from the nearby bushes, searing into the shoulder of the Risen that had been attempting to assault her. The Risen roared and groaned in what was presumably their equivalent of pain before collapsing onto the ground, fading into dark clouds of smoke.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at this. "Those arrows look rather familiar-"

"Captain Arthur!"

And suddenly, there were six.

Emerging from the bushes was yet another elf, judging from the pointed ears, but beyond that, she and Margaret had absolutely no resemblance whatsoever. Said elf was perched on a horse as white as snow, with only three black spots underneath each eye, and she clutched what appeared to be a harp just like Margaret's - except, when they all looked closer, it looked more like a bow and arrow than anything, complete with arrows on each harp string. The elf's eyes were teal, shining brightly in the moonlight, her braided red hair and teal scarf flying in the wind behind her. The hat and monocle were simply bonuses that looked out of place with her attire, consisting of clothes similar to Margaret's, but with less ribbons and more flowing cloth.

"Lumie!" Margaret cheered, clapping her hands. "You came!"

The redheaded elf winked at her. "Of course I did! It's me, the Great Detective! And besides," She eyed the growing horde of Risen with a hint of disgust. "These things are criminals in their own right if they're attacking you and Arthur! And that means it's up to me to stop criminals!" If she hadn't been holding a lot of arrows on a harp, she would've struck a pose on her horse, which whinnied and pawed at the soil.

"... Lumie?" Both twins echoed.

"Hm?" The newcomer turned to face them, and then whistled lowly. "Well, well! Who are these two? Are they criminals you guys managed to catch and are now escorting to the capital?"

"Of a sort, though they're not exactly 'criminals', Illuminata." Arthur gestured to the twins in turn. "Frey and Lest. Twin tacticians who have just joined the Shepherds."

Illuminata shot a barrage of arrows at a Risen about to slam its axe into Forte's helmet, making it groan and dissolve into black smoke. The knight blinked, then stepped to the side, closer to Lest. The monocle wearing elf adjusted said looking glass, eyeing the twins with scrutiny before brightening up. "I see! I'd say it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, but-" The elf cleared her throat, and then proceeded to grab an arrow from her quiver, twirling it around with her fingers before aiming it at an approaching Risen and throwing it like a dart. Frey yelped as the arrow grazed the top of her tiny hair ornament before it pierced straight through the center of the Risen's forehead and came out through the back of it, embedding itself into the nearest tree. The Risen groaned once more before collapsing into yet another puff of black smoke. "-it appears that we are in the middle of a war of wills against these criminals, aren't we?"

"... Y-yeah!" Frey was still rather shaken by the fact that Illuminata had almost thrown it at  _her_ head. "W-we should... get back t-to fighting these Risen!"

Lest, however, was in awe. "That- that's amazing!"

"What is?"

"You... you just used your arrow like a dart! A DART!" The tactician's eyes sparkled. "And it was so precise too! So accurate, so perfectly predicted and calculated! The timing was just right, and the wind speed...!"

"Calm down there, Lest." Arthur placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Illuminata is the Shepherds' only mounted archer, so it would be only natural that she would be very practiced in her art. There  _is_ a term for these kinds of soldiers though... erm, Illuminata?"

The monocle-wearing elf chuckled. "Bow knights, Art. We're called bow knights." Illuminata gestured to the sword in its sheath buckled around her waist. "We use both swords and bows, but as you can see," She gestured to her 'bowharp'. "I prefer to be a little more distinct. I am, after all, the Great Detective Illuminata! It's only fitting that I be unique and astounding!"

"She's... very proud of herself." Frey commented to Forte, who only snorted. "What? What's wrong?"

The knight only rolled her eyes. "Pride apparently comes with Lichtblumian territory, from what I've experienced, though they actually have good reason for it. While others are prideful with next to no skills to speak of, Lichtblumians are excellent at many things, and thus, have all the right to be rather prideful of themselves. Illuminata and Margaret appear to be no exception." As she spoke, her eyes immediately darted to the left, spotting a Risen, and she turned, dragging her longsword up and slicing the Risen from the bottom up, cutting it clean in half. The two halves fell to the ground and dissolved into more black smoke as she continued, "Though we humans have good reason to be proud of ourselves as well, of course."

"I see." Frey turned back to Lest, who was still happily chattering with the amused Illuminata about her skills in archery, making her sweatdrop in embarrassment at her brother's actions. "Oh geez..."

"Excuse me..."

"Oh!" Margaret's ears twitched, and immediately she turned around, hearts in her eyes as she spotted her blond savior approaching them, tucking a tome into a knapsack on his waist. "It's you! W-where did you go after you saved me?"

The lad's face was impassive. "I took down the rest of the Risen that Miss Illuminata here failed to dispatch after her appearance."

"Hm hm!" Illuminata gave the boy a wry smile. "Looks like this one knows his way with words! And swords, I suppose. Do you wield swords?" When he nodded, her eyebrow rose. "I see no traces of a sword on your person, however, dear boy. Purely a magic user?"

"..." It didn't seem like he wanted to reply.

"... Alright then." Illuminata made a strange face before sighing. "Thank you, however, for taking them down. Guess my appearance was rather unhelpful."

Lest quickly jumped to her defense. "No no no! You did great, Lumie! You did  _amazing!_ It's still a big help even though he took down most of them! Thank you Lumie!"

"Stop jumping to her defense..." Margaret grumbled before turning back to the masked stranger, coughing and attempting to look a little more presentable, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Er-hem. Anyway, um... I never got to thank you, by the way... for before. So..." She fiddled with her hands shyly. "Thank you... you were very brave to save me."

Arthur stepped forward. "You saved Meg's life, and I am very grateful. My name is Arthur. Might I ask yours?"

"Milord, this stranger-" Forte was cut off by Arthur holding up a hand to stop her. The dragon knight silenced immediately, sheathing her longsword then moving to stand beside Frey, who only watched curiously as she felt a little twang of familiarity, staring at the masked lad. Actually, if she thought about it, staring at both Arthur and him... they emitted the same kind of aura of caution and calm, though the masked lad seemed a little more battle weary, as if he had seen much more than he let on.

After a few moments, he replied. "You may call me Micah."

"... Micah?" Arthur raised an eyebrow at this. "After the brave wooly guardian of old?" At his nod, he only smiled. "You certainly fight like him, though I recall that he much preferred dual wielding his weapons over magic. Still, that was excellent magic casting you did there. Where did you learn?"

"I'm not here to discuss as to whether or not I learned my magic from a family member or a Buffamoo." Micah's stance suddenly became stiff. "This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude to this disaster." With a final nod, he declared, "You have been warned," before turning around and walking away, disappearing once more into the forest.

Margaret seemed lost. "What's teetering where now? Huh- h-hey, wait a minute! Come back!"

"Not much for conversation, is he?" Frey turned to Arthur, who only chuckled. "Hey, don't laugh at me, it's true!"

The blond only smiled. "We'll be hearing about him again soon enough. Given that he's taken up the name of the golden wooly guardian of eras past, I'd say that people will notice immediately the differences in personality."

"Golden... wooly guardian?"

He nodded. "Micah was the Hero-Guardian Earthmate of Sharance, one of our neighbors to the north. During his time, he fell from the sky in his wooly form and inadvertently became the savior of Sharance and the world. Micah was known for being the one who reinstated the bond between humans and univir by revealing his status as a guardian - a human born with the ability to turn into a monster, though there are rare cases where all you need to do is be born half-human and half-monster to be considered a guardian." Arthur pushed his glasses up his nose. "And yes, he could turn into a golden wooly, though he forgot how to do so at first."

"How come?"

At this, Arthur paused. "... Strangely enough, I'm quite certain it was because of amnesia." He stared at Frey. "Are you-"

"No." Frey seemed certain. "That is one thing I know I'm not. I am  _not_ a guardian. I can't turn into anything."

"Ah. Well, it pays to be certain, of course."

The tactician pondered everything, and then blinked, a memory returning to her. "Hold on. If my memory serves, and I hope it does, then... hold on, didn't you say that Fiersome died protecting Selphia?"

"I... did?" The red eyed man blinked, thinking about it for a moment before shaking his head. "The Native Dragon of Fire, Fiersome, died protecting this land. I did not specify it to be only Selphia. During his younger years, Fiersome was a fierce and unrestrained dragon, oftentimes wreaking war and destruction on the whole land whenever he woke up after a thousand years. It was only through the selflessness of Alvarna's first Earthmate, Kyle, that Fiersome was contained for another 1000 years."

Frey blinked as Illuminata got off her horse, allowing Lest to climb up on it for a test run. "How did he contain him?"

"Simple: by using an ancient Earthmate spell that united him with the fire dragon guardian."

"W-what?!"

Arthur nodded. "Because the seal restraining Fiersome before Kyle came was growing weak, he was forced to find a way to solve the problem before he destroyed the world, and the solution at the time was to bond himself with the dragon guardian. It was with this bond that Fiersome remained quiet for a few years before wrecking havoc once again. Kyle's child, however, according to the stories, was the one who permanently snapped Fiersome out of his rampage and defeated him, sealing him away once more for a thousand years to atone for his wrongdoings... Kyle along with him."

"His own child..." The female tactician held a hand close to her heart, a dull ache passing through it.  _Did Lest and I... have a family before we came here? If we did... are they worried about us, now? Where are they?_ "That's really sad... so he never got to be with his family again?"

Red eyes twinkled behind half-rimmed glasses. "He did. By using another Earthmate spell, his child was able to bring him back, body and spirit, and they continued to live happily until they died. Fiersome, however, after a thousand years, sought to make up for his past works, and rose to the surface, becoming Alvarna's first resident dragon guardian, and their protector. Living in his human form, he interacted with the townspeople until he gained their trust, and sought to rebuild all that he had destroyed years ago, until finally, the times came when he had to watch all the people he cared about pass on due to various reasons. Whether it be old age or sickness, it didn't matter; Fiersome found himself alone within a few years, and that was when his runestone first got a crack."

"A crack?"

"Such was the beginning of Fiersome's deterioration, but he did not cease to protect the country he grew to love, even when the people no longer lived there. And when the time came that monsters almost tore it down to rubble, Fiersome used the last of his life force to blast them away and send them back to the Forest of Beginnings in his human form - which was still very very strong, mind you - as his runestone finally shattered and scattered onto the ground, leaving the circlet of fire he always wore. It is said that Fiersome's human spirit still lingers around Alvarna, and that if given a new runestone, he will be revived again."

"... Whoa..."

"Not to interrupt or anything, milord," Forte tapped Arthur's shoulder a little briskly. "But we really must be heading to the capital. The day is dawning."

Arthur blinked, then nodded at the knight. "Yes, of course, Forte. Shall we be going then?"

"Can I ride with Lumie?" Lest piped up from his place behind Illuminata, who only chuckled at the tactician's eagerness. "It'll be practice for when I finally tame and mount a Silver Wolf!"

Frey shook her head and laughed. "Lest, horses are different from Silver Wolves!"

"Eh, both have four legs, what could go wrong?" Lest looked at Illuminata. "Can I? It'd be really cool!"

Illuminata only laughed. "Whatever keeps your marbles in your bag."

"Great! Thanks Lumie!"

"Anytime, kiddo."

"Kiddo? I'm about as old as you!"

"Boy, have you got a lot to learn about elven aging..."

-=-

As they walked to the capital, with Arthur and Frey discussing more things to the side and Illuminata and Lest discussing the Risen on her horse, Forte somehow felt that she had to talk to Margaret, if only to even things out. Personally, she found it rather hilarious that Lest turned into something like a little kid, fanboying over Illuminata, and now they were riding the same horse to the capital together.

Lest's reaction to Margaret and Illuminata's real ages, however, was hilarious.  _("WHAT DO YOU MEAN ILLUMINATA'S LIKE 198?!")_

After he had recovered, however, he had turned to admiring Lichtblumians, though most compliments were indirectly thrown in Illuminata's direction, much to her amusement, and Frey's embarrassment. Arthur had only chuckled while Forte herself had rolled her eyes, but Margaret's reaction was... less than normal.

Said elf was now walking beside the dragon knight, quiet. "Meg?" Forte glanced at Margaret, who seemed rather upset at what was happening between Illuminata and Lest, though she was trying hard to hide it by playing with the ribbons and flowers in her hair. "Meg, are you alright?"

"Hm...? Oh... o-oh, yes..." Margaret looked away, a bit lost in thought. "I'm... alright..."

"You seem bothered." Forte pointed out. "And don't tell me it's nothing; I know when something is going on with you... e-erm, milady."

The hastily added term of respect made Margaret's mouth quirk up slightly. "Forte, you know, you don't need to call me milady  _all_ the time. I mean, you're learning, but just calling me Meg and then using 'milady' too... isn't that kind of silly?"

"W-well... it is only right..." Forte looked away a bit, cheeks coloring a little. "I mean, you are still-"

"SHUSH! They might overhear." Margaret pressed a finger to Forte's lips, silencing the knight before sighing. "Yes, I know... but still! We're best friends, aren't we?"

Forte's ponytail bobbed up and down. "Yes, well- hey!"

"Hey, what?"

"You're turning the topic around!" Forte accused. "Meg-"

"Oh look, the capital!" Margaret interrupted, pointing a finger at the place they were now nearing. "Look everybody, it's Selphia!"

 _I'm going to get you to talk about it sooner or later, Meg._ Forte thought crossly as she gazed at the capital impassively. It was still as beautiful as she remembered.  _Ah, finally, we're home._

-=-

"So this is the capital of Selphia..." Lest mused, looking around.

The roads they walked were filled with lots of townspeople, talking, chattering, and otherwise doing many other things that townspeople did in a town. Tourists frequented the area, gossiping with locals, while children of all sorts played tag, laughing and chattering to each other about topics that Lest couldn't catch. The people were as diverse as a color palette, ranging from pale to dark skinned humans, then elves, and even dwarves frequented the town, dressed in all sorts of garments and robes.

"I've never seen so many people..." Frey said in awe.

Forte sighed. "It appears the capital was spared the chaos we encountered, thank the gods. There are no evidences of the great quake having happened here, so it must have been limited to the forest we were in."

"That's a relief..." Margaret muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Look! There she is, everyone!" A villager suddenly called out. "The Divine Dragon has come to see us!"

And then, from atop Illuminata's horse, Lest saw her.

Since she was a dragon, it was only expected that Ventuswill had, well,  _horns._  Silvery and smooth, they curled backwards in a sickle like shape, emerging from behind long tendrils of silvery hair that ended near her waist, forehead framed by bangs. A circlet of finely fashioned silver sat on her head, and at the center was a brilliantly shining stone of blueish green - her runestone. Eyes as blue as the sky blinked gently at each villager she passed, lips quirking into a smile as she waved at all of them. Ribbons of green and blue trailed behind her as she walked, and on her back were a pair of folded wings with red and blue feathers. From the looks of it, the wingspan of the folded wings would be twice as long as Ventuswill, which left Lest in awe as she knelt down to pat a child on the head. Her clothes were silver and black, with dashes of green as accents, and most of it consisted of ribbons and frills, complete with a cloak that looked similar to Arthur's on her back, with holes for her wings. She looked to be as tall as Illuminata, if not taller.

"That's her?" Lest grinned. "She looks lovely. She's your ruler, right?"

Forte nodded. "Lady Ventuswill. And before you ask, yes, it is safe for her to walk amongst the commoners like this." She gave a wry smile in Frey's direction, who only gaped at having the knight anticipate her question. "The Divine Dragon of Wind is a symbol of peace - Selphia's most prized quality. She has lived long enough to witness the building of this town, and until now, she is still young in dragon years, watching over all of us as she continues to thrive on the peace of our country. Long before our time, there were four dragon guardians-"

"Four? But Arthur only mentioned three!" Frey stared accusingly at Arthur, who only shrugged.

Forte looked understanding. "Ah. He left out Terrable, the Fell Dragon of Earth. While Terrable's arrival signaled the rebirth of the world, he wanted to see the destruction of it first. That is why he let Fiersome wreck the world in his place. When Fiersome repented, however, Terrable took it upon himself and attempted to destroy the world permanently before forming his own world, only to be stopped by his two sisters, Aquaticus and Ventuswill, the latter being the one walking before you right now. Ventuswill's existence as this place's Divine Dragon guardian reminds us all of the peace they fought for then."

"With the Empire poking at our borders, the people need her more than ever." Arthur sighed. "She's a calming presence, indeed, being both in touch with the old and young alike."

"Then the people of Selphia and Lichtblume by extension are indeed lucky to have her." Lest smiled.

Margaret smiled. "She's also the best teacher-friend anyone could ask for! Man, if it weren't for her, I don't think Arthur and I would've gotten through our lessons on how to rule kingdoms!"

"Yes, I imagine she... wait, WHAT?!" Frey blinked. "Lessons on how to rule- but wouldn't that make you and Arthur..."

Arthur's smile was coy. "Royalty. Specifically, I am the prince of Selphia, while Margaret rules the neighboring country of Lichtblume."

Lest fell off the horse. Hard.

"You remember Arthur and Margaret's names, but not this?" Forte looked amused.

Illuminata only laughed, getting off her horse and holding a hand out to Lest, who took it gratefully as she pulled him up to his feet. "Man, you two must be really out of the loop not to know that you've been hanging with royalty!"

"B-but you said you were shepherds!" Frey accused once more.

"And so we are, in a manner of speaking." Arthur adjusted his glasses before chuckling. "We just have a lot of Woolies to tend to."

"F-forgive us, A-arthur- I mean, Prince Arthur! Princess Margaret! Milord! Milady!" Lest stammered in embarrassment, face red as he wrung his hands. "Forgive our dreadful manners!"

"O-oh, please do!"

"I told you before, didn't I?" Arthur placed a hand on Frey's shoulder. "I'm not very much inclined towards formalities. Arthur will suit me just fine. And Meg will suit Margaret as well." At this, the elven princess nodded, placing her hands on her hips as she tutted, "I told you guys this already, did you forget already? Geez!"

Frey sighed, cheeks still pink. "That explains why Forte tolerates all this teasing."

"Indeed." Forte rolled her eyes.

Arthur glanced towards the crowd. "Looks like Venti is returning to the palace. Would you like to meet her?"

"As if there was a doubt."

"Mm-hmm!

-=-

"Your castle is amazing, Arthur..." Lest commented, voice filled with awe.

Arthur only smiled. "It is not all mine, technically: as of right now, Venti holds the true power, and as such, owns this palace as much as I do. Margaret, by extension, has rights to the palace as well, and I to her palace in Lichtblume."

"Hmm?"

Both tactician twins sweated as they entered a large room, windows made of stained glass murals of battles long past, flowers scattered here and there. What made them sweat, however, was the large green dragon sitting in the center of the room, wings folded neatly on her sides, a smile on her scaly snout as Margaret squealed, running up to her. The dragon bent down her neck, allowing the elven princess to nuzzle her snout before gesturing for Arthur to come closer with a grin. The prince did so, and, much to the twins' surprise, even hugged Ventuswill, smiling a smile so wide that they were pretty sure he would break his face.

_So this is the true form of Ventuswill... she's so huge... but she's still majestic and beautiful, even as a dragon..._

"Welcome home, you two. Good day Forte. Illuminata. How fared you all?" The dragon's voice, surprisingly, did not echo. Rather, it was just as level as a human voice, which surprised the tacticians greatly.

Arthur only smiled. "We shouldn't have any bandit problems for a while."

"Great. And the people?"

"Safe as safe can be!" Margaret saluted. "We still need to watch out for the Empire, though. The brigands crossed over from the Empire!"

Forte bowed. "Forgive me, your grace. I should have asked for the monster knights to assist us in intercepting them."

"Your duty was to us, Forte. It's alright." Arthur said reassuringly. "Besides, we had plenty of help, didn't we?"

Illuminata grinned, standing near the twins. Her horse had been taken to the stables for rest. "Yup! It's me, the Great Detective, hard at work again!"

"I see," Ventuswill chuckled, nosing Illuminata's hat downward a little before her gaze landed on Frey and Lest. "And who might these two be?"

"This is Frey, and this is Lest." Margaret pointed at each twin in turn, the two waving awkwardly when their name was mentioned. "They fought bravely with us against the brigands, and because of this, Arthur decided to make them into Shepherds! Isn't that great?"

Ventuswilll looked amused. "It sounds as though Selphia and Lichtblume owe you two a debt of gratitude."

"N-not at all, Lady Ventuswill!" Frey stuttered, bowing a little, at which the dragon laughed, saying, "Just call me Venti. It's easier."

"Anyway..." Forte stepped forward, stance strong and proud. "I assume that milady heard about the deathly creatures we encountered, yes?"

Ventuswill nodded. "Xiao Pai and Lin Fa told me. According to them, they've been sighted all across Selphia and Lichtblume."

"That's terrible..." Lest grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Shouldn't we be dispatching of them right now?"

The dragon turned to him, making him shrink back a little. She laughed. "My, you're a funny one. But regardless. Arthur. We're about to hold council. Are you willing to join us?" As she spoke, the dragon was suddenly engulfed in a bright white light, nearly blinding all of the people in the stained glass window room before it faded away, leaving Ventuswill's human form in her place. "It's alright if you don't."

"No, no, I'm going with you." Arthur nodded. "I need to be there."

Margaret perked up. "That's our cue! C'mon you two." The elf grabbed at both tacticians' sleeves, dragging them away. "There's a place Lumie and I want to show you. Lumie?"

"I'm coming!"

And both twins had no say in the matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a few edits on the previous chapters because I wrote those half-asleep. Oh well. Some words have been changed to better fit the story.
> 
> Aquaticus is a female in this continuity, because I felt that it'd be nice if the Four Native Dragons were evenly split into two males and two females, those being Terrable and Fiersome, and Aquaticus and Ventuswill. I also gave some weird backstory stuff for Fiersome because I care. Aww.
> 
> Arthur likes exposition and Frey likes listening, so be prepared for that.


	6. Shepherds I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Margaret introduces the twins to the other Shepherds, their arrival eliciting mixed reactions from all of them. As Arthur assembles a small party to head towards Regna Mianra, two siblings get into an argument.

Walking the halls of Ventuswill's - scratch that, Ventuswill's, Arthur's, and by extension, Margaret's - large castle, twins Frey and Lest couldn't help but admire the effort put into the construction of said castle. The room they had previously been in, which they had come to know as Ventuswill's version of a throne room, had a skylight made of clear glass that allowed her to watch the changing skies from her throne room, should she be confined to it, and said skylight's frame was shaped in the symbol of what Frey came to recognize as a  _luftblume_ flower ( _"Lichtblume has many kinds of flowers, not just the klingenull and, well, the lichtblume," Margaret had explained with a smile, pointing to a nearby window with two different flower patterns on it. "The one with six petals is the luftblume, Selphia's symbol, while the one with five is the lichtblume, Lichtblume's symbol.")_ , which opened up using a mechanism in the nearby columns, allowing Ventuswill to take flight if she wished from her throne room.

"Hey, Margaret?" Frey queried. "Can I... ask a silly question?"

"Go ahead, Frey."

The pigtailed girl glanced at her brother, who only nodded, before finally asking, "I've noticed this before, but I never really asked... what's going on with the symbol on Ventuswill's head when she's human? I mean, I only saw it in passing when the wind blew through her bangs and so did Lest. It looks like a  _luftblume,_ but we couldn't... really be sure."

"Ah, that would be the Brand of the Wind Dragon." Margaret smiled, though she looked a little sad. "A dragon's chosen family tree will bear the Brand of said dragon, no matter what. In her human form, Venti's Brand just happens to be on her forehead. Arthur's is on his right arm."

"Ah, alright." Beat. "Wait, Arthur has the Brand of the Wind Dragon?"

Illuminata, who had been simply listening from the side, nodded. "His ancestor had been Venti's first friend, and because of that, Ventuswill had blessed him and his lineage the Brand, which symbolizes the bond they had formed, and which also serves as a brand for their, well, royalty. You just don't see Arthur's because he always wears that silly cloak."

"I-It's not a silly cloak!" Frey protested. At the two elves' stares, she turned a little pink. "I mean, that's what he likes to wear, isn't it? We shouldn't judge him for it..."

The detective nodded. "True. My Brand is on my right hip, see?" Illuminata pulled down her pants a little to reveal a flower shaped birthmark with five petals.

"Y-your family was chosen? By what dragon?" Lest's fanboy instincts were acting up again as he stared at Illuminata in awe, much to Margaret's chagrin.

Margaret tried her best to keep her voice calm, but it ended up sounding rather clipped. "Our family was chosen by Ventuswill as well. Venti's powers are of the wind, but she has some authority over light as well... therefore, she had the choice of giving another Brand... which became the Brand of the Lichtblume royal family. The Selphian Brand is on her forehead, while the Lichtblumian Brand is on her stomach."

"...  _Your_ family?" Both twins sounded incredulous.

Much to her irritation, Margaret nodded. "Illuminata and I are... somewhat related."

"We have the same ancestor, Marco!" Illuminata said proudly, draping her arm over her fellow elf's shoulders. "Most elves come from a common ancestor, but it just so happens that my bloodline and Meg's over here is the closest! I'm not royalty like she is, buuuut..." Her face brightened. "I have the Brand, which gives me free access to the castle to visit Meg!"

Margaret attempted a smile. Lest noted that it seemed a little forced. "Not that Lumie's bad company or anything. I love having Lumie around, but... well, it's kind of disheartening that non-royalty related to you has the Brand while you yourself don't." She sighed, ears drooping down a little. "Maybe they skipped me... my mother had the Brand, and her mother, and her father, and her mother..."

"Hey... it's okay." Lest reached out to pat Margaret's shoulder reassuringly, a gentle smile on his face. Margaret blinked at this as he said, "You're still princess of Lichtblume, aren't you? People still love and respect you, even without the Brand.  _I_ certainly do."

The elven princess smiled. "... Thanks Lest. Yeah, I guess you're right; it doesn't matter if I have a Brand or not. As long as I rule the country right, Lichtblume will prospe- hey, hold on a minute." His words began to process. "You love and respect me?"

"Yeah!" Lest grinned. A minute passed before he realized what he had just said, and immediately he flared up, apologizing. "A-ah, n-no, I-I didn't mean it that way...! I-I mean of course I respect you and I-I love you, but as a friend! N-not romantically! S-sorry!" He turned away, grumbling to himself.  _Arghhh, you stupid...! You're a tactician, why didn't you think that through?!_

Despite herself, Margaret snorted before smiling at him. "Heh, I know that. I was just teasing you Lest. Thank you for indirectly cheering me up with that reaction though; that was  _hilarious!_ "

"W-what?! Hey, that's not nice-"

"Oh look, we're here!" Illuminata stopped in front of a large door that looked out of place and simple against the regal atmosphere of the whole castle, being a simple wooden door with a golden handle. "The Shepherds' garrison, you two! Go on, make yourselves at home!"

Pushing open the door, the twins were greeted by a small group of curious faces, young and old alike, with many different races all around. Still, the dominant race appeared to be human, as most of them lacked the pointy ears that Margaret and Illuminata possessed. The garrison itself was very simple, compared to the castle, complete with sacks of somethings to the side, and crates and various other weaponry and supplies scattered about... though they  _were_ piled up neatly in their own corners.

"Meggy, my precious treasure, are you alright?!"

As the group turned towards the speaker, a portly man surged forward, running to embrace Margaret with wide arms. His attire was odder than the rest's, almost in lieu with Arthur's clothing, complete with a white feathered hat and a satchel that spilled fruit every now and then, which he managed to catch as if he knew it was going to happen. He himself looked a little odd, with long orange hair and an unusual looking facial structure, but otherwise, he was just like everyone else.

Margaret laughed before gently pushing him away. "Hey Porco. How've you been?"

"Oh, my precious Meggy, I've sprouted at least ten, no  _twenty_ gray hairs worrying about you!" Porco fretted, eyes just as blue as Margaret's shining with worry and nervousness. "Are you alright, however? Did Forte protect you?"

Frey jumped when Forte spoke. She had forgotten that the knight had been with them the whole time. "I made sure that she was unharmed for the most part, Porco."

" _FOR THE MOST PART?!"_ The man sounded outraged. "WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REST OF THE TIME?!"

Margaret rolled her eyes before planting a kiss on Porco's forehead. "Don't worry about me, Porcoline. I can handle a battle or two! And besides, I had Arthur with me that time, so I was technically still safe!"

"Oh..." Porco looked gratified as he pulled out a green apple and snacked on it quickly, bemoaning, "Oh, Meggy, I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt out there. I'd end up eating Selphia out of castle and courtyard in my grief! And even then, I'd _still_ need more comfort food!"

"Don't you dare!" The elven princess looked angry, but everyone could see the humor in her eyes. "Porcoooo, I told you before that you can't do that! And aren't those from the kitchens?" She pointed at the satchel on his waist, still practically bursting at the seams, but otherwise lighter than before he had run up to her, worried sick.

Porco laughed. "I work in the kitchens Meg. Don't I deserve a little snack every now and then?"

"You call that a snack?!"

"Um..." Eyes turned to the silver eyed girl standing near the corner next to a blond haired boy, reading an Elwind tome. Said girl was decked in armor similar to Forte's, though it seemed a little more loose and easier on the body, judging from the various plates that allowed her to twist in many directions as flexibly as possible. Her armor, however, instead of having shoulder pads, had none, instead leaving her shoulders bare, the clothing underneath said armor being her source of protection. Her top had long sleeves of red and purple, and the pants underneath the leathery skirt were white, her boots also silver. Her silver hair was tied up in a ponytail by a tiny panda clip, and her hair had a green lotus clip near her bangs. "E-excuse me, but... it would seem that we are not knowing who you are with, Meg, yes?"

"Oh, that's right!" Margaret gestured to the twin tacticians. "Everyone, this is Frey and Lest. They're twin tacticians who're going to join the Shepherds! You guys should see how they work on the battlefield!"

The elf smiled at the two before gesturing to each of the current Shepherds in the room. "Guys, these are some of our Shepherds. The one who just asked who you were is Xiao Pai," She gestured to the silver haired girl, who waved. "And the boy she's standing next to is-"

"Kiel." Forte finished, smiling tenderly as she took off her helmet. "He's my baby brother."

"I'm  _not_ a baby anymore, Forte!" He seemed to have heard her, despite being engrossed in his tome. He looked dismayed at the introduction, but otherwise, he said, "Yeah, hi, I'm Kiel! It's nice to meet you!"

"I-It would seem that meeting you is much obliged, yes?" Xiao Pai bowed awkwardly before blushing a bright red. "Nice to be seeing you!"

Lest raised an eyebrow. "What a strange accent."

"It's more of a verbal tic than anything, but yeah. She got it from her father, apparently." Margaret shook her head before gesturing to the man that had embraced her. "This is Porcoline. He's like my dad here in Selphia, and he's the owner of one of the greatest diners here in Selphia!"

Porcoline bowed deeply before saying in what appeared to be his attempt at a suave voice, "I am... Porcoline Tulle de Sainte-Coquille. Frey, will you marry me?"

"... What." Frey was baffled.

The man chuckled heartily. "My, my, too shocked for words? No worries, we shall be wed at dawn!"

"Porco!" Margaret placed her hands on her hips, tapping her foot.

"Oh Meggy, you never really understood me when it came to women..." Porcoline laughed again before bowing once more. "My apologies, Frey. Still, if you ever consider it-"

" **PORCO!** "

"Oh, all right, Meggy, I'll stop. But only for now."

"Great..." Margaret grumbled before immediately going to introduce the others. She gestured to a respectably old man standing straight near the side. "That's Volkanon, and the two on either side of him are Clorica," The elf pointed to the young lady with the braided purple hair, who appeared to be sleeping on her feet. "And Vishnal. They're all battle butlers." For the second name, she gestured to the blue haired young man dressed almost exactly like Volkanon.

"Battle butlers?" Both twins echoed.

Margaret shrugged. "Venti apparently needs butlers. Anyway, that's... all? Oh, no, wait!" The elf looked around curiously. "Has anyone seen Poppy?"

"I'm here!" Frey and Lest turned to see a pink haired maiden rushing in through a back door to the garrison, wearing a black and white dress with a leather corset and a metal hoop skirt outside of the actual skirt, wearing a green headband with flower decorations all on one side. Following her were a bunch of Cluckadoodles, and at least three Woolies, and at least two Pomme Pommes, rolling around and nuzzling the other Shepherds. "Oh, hello! Who might you be?"

"I'm Frey!"

"Lest."

"Popuri... didn't we tell you not to let the monsters in the garrison?" Forte pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

Popuri sighed dreamily. "Oh, I know... but I just couldn't let these poor dears not see you guys again! You guys enjoy the company, don't you?" At the chorus of noises from the monsters, she grinned. "See? They just want a little more love!"

"Popuri is from Lichtblume. She's one of the only humans there, actually." Illuminata explained to a baffled Frey and Lest. "She was left on a doorstep of a widowed elf, and raised to be a Tamer. She and Xiao Pai take care of the monsters in the barns."

Said girl curtsied to Lest and Frey respectively, saying, "It's nice to meet you both! So you're twins, huh? Wish I had a sibling... though I'm betting that they'd be really annoying and overprotective, so I guess I'm better off as an only child? I don't really know, teehee!"

"Oh, boy, are they  _ever._ " Frey and Kiel both deadpanned. The two looked at each other before laughing, shaking their heads.

Lest glanced at Forte. "Do you feel as insulted as I am right now?"

"Not verily. Kiel's words merely jest." Forte placed her helmet on a nearby table gently, saying softly, "He says that I am too overprotective, but... what else can I be for him?" At Lest's questioning look, she only sighed. "... I'm the only family he's got left, now that we're in the Shepherds."

"..."

"..." The dragon knight's face softened a little more. "Are you older than Frey?"

Lest shrugged. "Honestly? I'm not sure. But most of the time she acts a little younger than me, so... yeah."

"That's nice."

"Not really, I mean..."The amethyst eyed tactician sighed. "It'd be kinda nice to act like the younger one for once, you know? We're twins, but she's, well, just a little bit greater at tactics than I am, and she acts at least a year younger than me! It's kinda disheartening..."

Forte leaned against the nearest wall, smiling a small smile. "You sound as if you've recovered all of your memories, Lest."

"Hahaha, guess I do sound like I do, huh?" Lest grinned, crossing his arms. "I dunno... but even if I've lost my memories, it's like I remember everything I felt towards Frey, even though I don't remember what happened that  _made_ me feel that way. It's crazy, isn't it?"

Forte was about to reply when the door to the garrison opened, Arthur making his way inside. At his arrival, Xiao Pai gasped. "C-captain Arthur! It would seem you've returned, yes? I was so- I mean, it would seem- that is, I-"

**_CRASH!_ **

The monster knight fell flat on her face on the floor, moaning.

"Are you alright, Xiao?" Arthur asked in concern as the monster knight stood up again, grumbling, dusting off her armor hastily. "I take it that you still haven't gotten used to the boots?"

Xiao Pai shook her head frantically. "N-no! I mean, yes, I mean..." The poor girl sighed in exasperation. "It would seem that I am not very used to walking in cold shoes, yes? It is not really helping my terrible walking strategy..."

"There's a strategy for walking?" Frey echoed incredulously before getting elbowed in the ribs by both Lest and Margaret on either side of her, making her yelp. "Hey! What was that for?!"

"Alright, everyone," Arthur's voice made everyone snap to attention, turning to the red-eyed prince as he adjusted his glasses. "Tomorrow, at dawn, we will make our way to Regna Mianra."

The pigtailed tactician blinked. "Regna Mianra?"  _Geez, this continent is huge...!_

"It's a unified kingdom to Selphia's north," Kiel explained, snapping his tome shut to look up at Frey with wide blue eyes not unlike Forte's. "It's said that the place is inhabited by miners and barbarians coexisting peacefully, with the miners doing their jobs and the barbarians keeping the kingdom safe."

Arthur's face was blank aside from the tiny smile on his face. "They are warriors, Kiel. While you are correct that their main occupation is mining, they are more known for their battle prowess, which is why we will need their strength and cooperation to quell this new menace. Typically, the exalt of the kingdom would request the aid in person, but given recent events..."

"People would worry if Venti should leave the castle, huh?" Margaret supplied.

The blond nodded. "Precisely. However, this mission is strictly voluntary, and as such-"

"I volunteer!" Frey, Lest, and Margaret all said at once.

Arthur couldn't help but hold back a chuckle. "Frey, Lest, pardon me, but you're the tacticians. There is no need for you to volunteer because you're automatically going."

Forte only bowed. "My sword is yours, my prince."

"I would absolutely love to come, if it's not too much trouble, milord?" Popuri curtsied. "I'll only call on the most effective monsters we have and not all Cluckadoodles, I swear!"

"If it is for Prince Arthur, then I volunteer!" Vishnal said brightly, making a victorious pose.

Clorica yawned. "I... will also go, if you'll let me..."

"I'm afraid I must stay behind to assist the Lady Ventuswill," Volkanon shook his head. "Though I bid you all good luck."

Illuminata nodded. "I'm staying behind too for Venti. She'll need the protection since you guys'll be gone."

"And I'll be preparing the food!" Porcoline added heartily. "Sorry, Meggy, but I'll be staying behind."

Margaret smiled gently at her father figure. "That's okay, Porco. At least you'll be safe and sound back here in Selphia."

"You make it home in one piece young lady, you hear me?"

" _Yes,_ Porco, I  _will!_ Geez, don't you have any trust in me?"

"Oh, I do trust you, my precious treasure. I just needed, well, reassurance."

"Oh, Porco..."

Xiao Pai swiftly refused, silver hair bouncing. "I-It would seem that... I am not really ready for a proper mission, just yet, yes? I might be getting all in your way instead of being helpful..."

"Some lessons can only be learned on the battlefield, Xiao. Are you sure?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You could always just stay behind the main group and watch and learn."

The monster knight only stared down at her boots. "W-well... o-okay..."

"Where's your mother, anyway?" Margaret asked, turning to the monster knight questioningly. "Lin Fa. Where's she been the whole day?"

"Oh, Lin Fa's at the inn, working again." Kiel replied, tucking the tome that had been on his lap into his cloak. "Speaking of which, I volunteer to go!"

Forte immediately rebutted. "Oh,  _no,_ no you are  _not._ You are staying right here in the castle with Volkanon, Porcoline and Illuminata, Kiel. You're too young!"

"I'm  _20!_ " Kiel stood up, furious. "That's not too young, I'm perfectly old enough to take care of myself out on the battlefield!"

"I am your older sister, Kiel!" Forte stepped forward, irritated. "You will listen to me, and you will stay here in the castle-"

"I have a mind of my own, Forte!"

"It's too dangerous-"

"So what?! You go out there all the time!"

"I am a  ** _dragon_** _knight-_ "

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

" **YOU ARE A MAGE, KIEL!** " Forte roared, silencing all the chatter in the garrison immediately. "You are... a  _mage._ Mages are extremely gifted with magic, not with close up fights! What am I going to do if you run into the battle like a headless Cluckadoodle and start firing Elwinds close up at Risen and enemies, huh?!"

"I would cast at them from far away-"

"YOU. WOULD.  **DIE.** " The dragon knight stressed, slamming her fist down on a nearby table, startling the Pomme Pommes rolling around Popuri's feet. "You would die, because you have never seen battle before, and thus, you never will have figured out the enemy tactics! Books and knowledge can't help you on the battlefield, Kiel..." The knight hung her head, hands curling up into fists. "... They can't help you if you're dead. And... and I... I don't know what I'd do if..."

"..." Kiel only looked away, biting the inside of his cheek. "... I'm never going to learn if I stay in the castle all the time, you know."

"..."

"Perhaps you two both ought to stay behind and settle your differences." Arthur finally spoke up, alerting the rest of the Shepherds. "Forte, you will stay behind and assist in the defense of the capital and Lady Ventuswill with Volkanon, Illuminata, Porcoline and Lin Fa. Kiel, you too. Accompany your sister."

"... Fine." Both siblings said tartly.

"Forte..." Margaret only sighed sadly as the dragon knight stormed out of the garrison, slamming the door shut behind her, while Kiel gritted his teeth, obviously frustrated as he sat back down, furiously returning to reading his tome, Xiao Pai hovering near him anxiously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone expect Popuri? No? Okay.
> 
> I needed more characters since the RF1-RF3 characters are basically the Marths, Ikes and Eirika/Ephraims, aka, the legends of old, so I decided, why not grab some Harvest Moon characters? They're both farming games, and I have a soft spot for Mineral Town characters. Expect more of them because of Regna Mianra!
> 
> I suppose this is the best thing I've got so far. Oooh, we're so close to meeting their version of Mineral Town!


End file.
